


Learning: Affection

by JustBukharin



Category: Las Lindas (Webcomic), Learning Curves (Cancelled Webcomic)
Genre: Awkward Romance, Eventual Happy Ending?, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, University
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:21:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 114,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23030014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustBukharin/pseuds/JustBukharin
Summary: There are just a few things that can make a college experience quite unforgettable? Friendship and Love!
Kudos: 1





	1. It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (1)

Prism University, the place where ‘dreams come true’.

The peak of education in terms of quality in service and in offering some hefty pedigree for its successful students, those that had managed to win over the various obstacles along the way of true success.

An establishment that gave to many the chance of achieving even the most-complicated and nigh-impossible job opportunities with proper preparation and study.

Important and influential people in modern society had studied there in the past, obtaining impressive points to their respective curriculum that saw their career skyrocket to reach the highest class of elite, beyond the expectations of many born in riches.

Of course all of them had praised highly the impressive curricula, having more than once donated part of their non-negligible patrimonies.

Still, it wasn’t an easy feat to conclude the various years of study there.

The various courses had different spans of years to see their finalization.

Sometimes even dragging for a little less than a decade of studies but the requirements and efforts were all well-rewarded with quite the ultimate diploma that paved the way to many high-level works early on in the former students’ careers.

Many thousands of young men and women would flock eagerly to try their best to secure an enrollment to Prism Uni from all over the world, from poor upbringings to the richest ones.

But the real issue was the earliest obstacle, the selection of those that were to be enlisted and those that ended up being denied.

There wasn’t much of a clear explanation over the mysterious system used to select the proper documents from those trying to get in the Uni, but it was effective enough to keep a large majority out, and to not overpopulate the magnificent campuses there for the students to use during their stays at the facilities.

Such an important place where anyone could achieve the top with proper dedication and hardwork.

Yet I found myself embroiled into what could be considered a… rare circumstance.

What many should already know about this important establishment is that it is located in Prism, the capital of the Newer Continent and where the Prime’s government resided.

It shouldn’t be too difficult to see how odd it would be for a young human to not only try his luck at getting enrolled, but also being accepted without an apparent reason.

To be fair, I hadn’t been the one that compiled and sent the subscription form to the Prism High. I knew about the impossible means to be accepted into the school.

In fact, my main targets early on had been Stanford and Berkley. They were both fairly important on their own, and were also close to where I lived, New Pasadena.

The true culprit behind it all was… my own mother.

She had always been the kind of individual to take strange initiatives in her life, and this behavior had been there since she was a young girl.

None of the crazy escalations that would then ensue from those weird trail of thoughts ever deterred her from pursuing the next wacky adventure. Not even dad would try and reason with her over the crazy attempts she would aspire for.

So, when she decided to give a thorough look for any good colleges to send me to study via her ‘trusty’ laptop, her attention had been drawn towards one of the many advertisements for Prism Uni, and she was compelled to learn more about the establishment.

Ignoring the blatant signs that it was a Primes-only school, the lovely woman with seemingly zero common sense decided that it would have been a great idea to instantly send a properly-compiled form right away, without telling anything about it to anyone until much later, when dinner was starting.

Stumped’ failed to sufficiently understand the immense bewilderment that this sudden development caused, but my thoughts were dismissed. Such effort shouldn’t have garnered the attention of anyone relevant in particular within the administrative branch assigned to deal with this stuff.

A month passed, and I now find myself trying to understand the newest letter sent back to me.

Announcing my acceptance at Prism Uni and the proper date when I had to present myself to start my years of study there, this letter was a testament of how fate had decided to reward mom a rare victory for her... unique approach.

She was over-joyed that her ‘little boy’ had been accepted by one of the most-renowned schools in the world, blatantly missing the true shocking element that was rendering this whole mess even more surreal than a simple acceptance news.

Ignoring the fact related to the slim hopes I would have gotten in trying to get in a school that was meant to accept only Primes, I was subsequently floored over the veracity of the message despite my efforts to prove it a false/prank response.

The first thing I did before succumbing to the undeniable shock of this development was to check if the signs displayed there were the correct ones and, much to my growing dread, it was a true document of acceptance.

I tried to see if it was some complex prank, if it was just a joke, by also checking if the stamps and other elements in the letter matched with the proper acceptance file, all the efforts culminating in a single thought.

_**I was accepted at Prism University.** _

With this news sinking in my brain and the various ramifications slowly riddling my thoughts for the next few days, I finally conceded that reality had surrendered itself to an absurd circumstance, which saw me being sent in the heart of Primekind.

I had no issues with Primes as there were some friendly folks that lived here in the little city where I lived, New Pasadena, and I had some friends here which I shared some early elementary years with that were Primes.

The issue here was that I was going to be one of the few humans to go into the capital of the Kingdom of Prism.

Was I nervous? Immensely so.

But refusing to take an opportunity just because of a few obstacles in front of me? It would have been foolish of me to do so.

Prism Uni was still a top-notch college and, despite the odd situation that got me accepted by the school, I still had to give a try to what seemed to be my best shot at life.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that I was incredibly unsure what I was supposed to do in a place like the one I was meant to go since I have never traveled that far from home, but my mind was now set to make an attempt and so were the documents for my trip right into the next chapter of my life.

Thus, I took one of the flights available from San Francisco. After a few hours of uneventful sleep, I finally reached the grand capital of the Newer Continent.

I’ve seen New York once when I was just a child during a family trip, but the sight which I was bestowed when I disembarked from the plane and made my way out of the airport was truly immense.

There were multiple skyscrapers visible from just outside the airplane, and I saw some of the many trees located in the various parks spread over the humongous city.

A sublime harmony of technology and nature that none of the human cities had been able to rebuilt since the birth of Neo-Earth.

I was mesmerized by the scenario I was presented with, almost drowned by it, but I still managed to get through my early awe and get moving out to reach where my temporary flat was supposed to be.

A very small place, just somewhere to crash and rest until tomorrow.

The big day, the starting point for my years here at Prism.

Leaving the three bags I had filled with the most indispensable stuff for my long stay here by the little bedroom I had in that pseudo-flat, I decided to spent the whole day indoors to get through the little case of Jetlag I was experiencing in those moments.

'Incredibly drained by the flight, the bed looked like a nice place to hang out for my first day here at Prism. Regardless, my attention was mostly focused toward the laptop I had brought with me for this occasion. I used it to confirm some of the topics here that I was still doubtful about.

I went to sleep earlier than usual that day, hoping to get to wake up early the next morning.

Oh right, how rude of me. Before I forget, I think I should introduce myself.

My name is Frankie Parker and, right now I’m undoubtedly going to be-

* * *

**LATE!!**

I admit I should have set up an alarm instead of believing the whole ‘sleep early, wake up early’ crap, especially since I had tried this stuff in the past for some important exams.

I could still remember the panic I had back in those occasions and now I was feeling much worse about it all as I skimmed through the various streets in front of me, minding just barely about the cars that were coming around while I rushed across the roads.

With the three bags safely hanging by my arms and neck, I proceeded to pull what many experts would consider to be a ‘super-human feat’ by bolting around the city with every ounce of strength I had in my legs.

I was supposed to reach a place that was about half an hour away from where I currently was in less than ten minutes.

It was alright, it wasn’t that much of a pro-

I needed to do a miracle.

I could already see where it was, but it was so distant and so… close!

I wasn’t going to bite the dust without putting everything I had in my body.

To the surprise and amusement of those witnessing my dash through the districts, I had been running pretty fast for a human with three bags in tow. Sadly, it wasn't enough to make it in time for the grand ceremony planned for the beginning of the school year.

I took a brief pause by one of the intersections, a barrier of cars stopping me from continuing in my heated march and…

I’m so going to turn up late.

Groaning quietly at the realization that I was literally losing too much time there, I felt like things were just set against me in that precise circumstance.

I had dealt with bad luck more than once in the last few years, but this was the first time I had to deal with quite the horrible escalations of things.

Just as I let the realization that there was no way for me to get there in time I-

**Beep Beep**

I almost jumped at the sudden honking noise coming from the street nearby, my wide eyes snapping my attention right to look at my right side and-

“Hey pal, you seem to be in quite a rush,” A Cat Prime pointed out with a certain eased tone from within a yellow-colored car.

He had shoulder-length silver-hair and a pair of light-amber eyes.

He was wearing an unbuttoned light-brown jacket that make way for a pale-yellow shirt; I could see some dark-blue jeans, but his shoes were hidden from my current perspective.

“Where are you going with so much stuff around anyway?”

I blinked, losing just a second to recollect myself back to reality and- the panic resumed its turbulent presence within my brain.

“I-I was-” I paused a moment in my response, glancing at the still ongoing traffic in front of me. “I need to get to Prism Uni.”

He frowned. “With so many bags, 'it's either a chick you're helping, or some good buddy of yours.”

I shook my head. “This is all my stuff as… I got accepted at Uni.”

…

“You kidding, right?” The guy asked with a confused look. “I mean, I know that there are some people that fakes their acceptance but-”

I proceeded to show him the little plasticized card I had been given together with the letter, with the photo that had been sent together with all the general details about myself.

The Prime blinked, eyes fixed on the unquestionable bit of proof I had on myself and… he blinked again, looking up back to my face. “You mean that you got accepted-”

“Yep.”

“Even though you are a human?” He asked with more surprise than else to which I gave a nod in response.

“Yep.”

He leaned back for a moment in his seat and looked at the traffic already starting to unfold.

“And you are trying to get in there by foot?”

“I forgot to set up an alarm and woke up late,” I explained quickly as my attention was taken by the fact the cars were finally making way for some space to rush through.

My legs were preparing for another mad sprint to try to continue with my run, but just as I prepared to conclude this refreshing conversation in a friendly way, the Cat Prime nodded and spoke up again.

“Ya know, I can give you a ride there?”

The proposal was swift to enter my adrenaline-dominated mind, causing me to freeze at the words before I turned my sight back to the young man and… to the plasticized card with his own details.

“I’m a firsty myself,” The Cat continued with a smile now on his face, giving a shake of the card. “Hop in, buddy.”

I stood there in utter surprise at the curious development, unsure if I should pick up his offer or not.

The card was legit at a proper study and he seemed to be genuinely friendly with his mannerism…

I decided to accept the offer, well-aware that any further delays would have costed me the chance of arriving on time to the ceremony.

My next task was to put my bags in the car’s trunk, carefully not pressing over the ones that were already there, and I rushed to the seat beside the driver’s one.

With the little door closed, the vehicle started to move through the main street that concluded right where Prism Uni was with a moderate pace.

My nervousness was slowly subsiding with the certainty that we were going to turn up punctual for the initiation event and avoid any reprimands or outright expulsion.

“I think it’s odd that you, a human, got accepted in there-” The young man resumed the conversation. “No offense of course-”

“None taken,” I interjected with a calm tone. “I understand myself that it’s quite the unexpected situation- I mean, it was mom that sent the form and-”

“You still got accepted, I bet it had to be quite a shocker,” He interrupted with an amused tone, drawing my little uneasiness down even more.

“Quite so and...” I blinked, staring as we were getting close to the school. “Do you think I will get some attention once we get there? I thought about the fact others might-”

“You might get everyone’s attention, dude,” The Cat continued with quite the sureness in his tone. “But I can’t help but feel envious that you might get some ladies’ _attention_ too, if you catch my drift.”

I caught that very easily, in fact the little blush at that comment was more than a good answer to his words and soon he let out a chuckle at my embarrassment.

“C’mon, you mean to tell me you haven’t thought about the chances of getting some girls here?” He pressed on with a certain interest. “You don’t like Prime girls or what?”

“N-None of that!- It’s just that I...” I stopped for a moment, my mind having some trouble to elaborate the very simple issue about that stuff. “I never had a relationship before.”

I expected him to gloat, maybe because he seemed fairly versed over women so much that he had to have experienced some romantic and non- relationships.

Yet I was surprised by a shrug from my part. “Same, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try out now of all times,” The guy replied with a hum. “I mean, you know how many hot chicks study there?”

It was no secret for anyone that Primes were generally attractive and… I did have some crushes in some pretty girls back home that were mostly Primes at that.

I sighed. “I guess so...” I concluded with a blink, but then I realized that I had forgotten to do something about this. “By the way, I’m Frankie Parker.”

“Miles Lionheart,” He returned my introduction with his own. “And I can tell that we are going to be good pals, dude.”

_**And I couldn’t help but nod eagerly at that statement, feeling like that this was really going to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.** _

* * *

**~Change of POV~**

The big day has finally come and… she couldn’t believe it.

With her pink scooter coming to a halt by one of the free slots in the private parking lot assigned to students, a certain dark-haired prime disembarked by her vespa and took a sigh of relief as she removed her sunglasses, revealing to the world her bright green eyes.

Hope Ravenburst had finally arrived at Prism University, mere minutes from the start of the initiation event planned to occur this very day. Obviously, she was quite excited, and yet, she was nervous over the final chapter dedicated to her studies.

Not a sad one for sure, as she had planned every single contingency she thought was needed for spending the next few years at one of the greatest colleges ever for primes.

She didn’t expect to make many friends early on, especially after the little slow start she had to experience back in high school, but she wasn’t deterred from the fact that surely she would end up befriending someone new in her first year.

Of course, part of the glee she had for these next few years would be the many, many opportunities to her to be this close to... him.

Shin Aryoko, one of her first friends and her crush.

It would be a massive understatement to say that she was 'just' a little elated to receive the news that he was also going to have his first year at Prism. She literally rush back to her room moments after finding this out from her mom, so as to hide her squeals of delight from her little sister.

Joy was still young but terribly quick to tease her around when the ‘Shin’ topic was brought up to her attention, which was quite ironic considering how clueless she was about love herself.

An unexpected surprise, but a welcomed one to say the least.

But now it wasn’t time to lose herself in memory lane as she had many things to do even now.

So when Hope concluded the parking procedure and got hold of her bags, the girl proceeded to make her way towards the entrance of the main building, her genuine anxiety rising just a little from within her chest the more steps she would take towards the beginning of this next step in her life.

The one that should cement her start in adulthood and introduce her to the improvement of her natural affinity, her melodious singing voice that Lady Ambar herself had said was quite beautiful to listen to as she sung some of her own songs.

Of course it wasn’t going to be an easy path to success since becoming a singer was quite difficult nowadays and… her main objective made things even more important for her.

Singing was… meant to lit the hearts of people, to bring them peace and joy, to give them hopes and dreams against the dreadful obstacles that life offered to those that dared to achieve the most ambitious futures in this big and varied world.

A hum started to build up in her throat, her nervousness urging her to at least whisper some of her songs as to soothe her excitement and yet she held herself from doing so.

The reason why the young Prime decided against it was standing right by the building’s entrance and was now waving at her with that gorgeous smile of his.

A White Tiger Prime with blond-hair and light-green eyes, wearing a half-sleeved blue t-shirt a pair of black jeans.

Shin was already there, with his own bags lying by the floor nearby and looking to be quite excited himself of making his first steps at Prism.

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that the son of the Crest of Light was one of the smartest young men in his generations… if not for several of those before him.

A lovely bookworm that would also show no hesitation in learning some bits of social life, balancing himself between books and experience while managing to get through numerous adversities without breaking a sweat.

A testament to this impressive intelligence of his was how he had managed to skip enough grades to reach her same school level, his interest in studying for long here at Prism Uni having been a subject of various conversations in the last few years but…

This was incredibly surprising and oddly lucky for her.

She had the chance to conquer his heart, and maybe get a stronger relationship going.

Her first romantic relationship to that and… she had to give her best!

The only issue about this matter was the age gap.

While she was 19 and legally an adult before the laws of the Kingdom, Shin wasn’t.

Having celebrated his sixteenth birthday just four months ago, he was still considered a minor and thus… not someone she could approach with a complete relationship.

Which was bad because she really wanted to get together with him ever since their first few encounters thanks to their families meetups.

With her mom being a good friend with Kate Aryoko, it was quite common for them to have some time to spend around together ever since they had met each other.

But she was still forced to deal with the fact that she needed to wait at least two more years to see and try some serious attempts.

An annoying circumstance that faded when she was around the lovely person that was Shin.

The younger Prime was smiling as she got close enough.

“Good morning, hope,” He greeted eagerly and she couldn’t help but smile herself at his giddiness.

“Hello, Shin,” Hope replied mirthfully. “I see that you can’t stop shaking at the chance of diving into some new books.”

He snorted. “I-It’s more than just ‘new books’, Hope,” The young man replied with faux irritation. “It’s about getting to know some of the most renowned professors and scientists of various subjects all reunited in a single place.”

The girl nodded, knowing well-enough how this was the kind of topics that would get him this much interested in the world. Studying and… studying.

There was nothing wrong in being an intellectual and it wasn’t bad enough to become a nag for her, so she merely grew accustomed to his own hobbies just like he did start to appreciate hers.

They were still close friends and as such they both learned to respect their respective merits and flaws after so much time spent together.

It felt just so natural, yet it didn’t felt as accomplishing as the great idea of trying to break through and… form a romantic bond with this dense Prime before her eyes.

A pity that he failed to catch her subtle hints.

But there was also another instance of discomfort about this static sensation over their bond.

“Is there something worrying you?”

This. This was another issue.

Hope blinked, her eyes widening a moment as she realized how she had been zoning out from the conversation until now.

Her cheeks flared red and she gave a quick shake of her head. “N-Not truly- Just thinking about the fact we are… the last one waiting there.”

A smile replaced his worried line and he blinked away to stare away from her.

“Well, I thought this too but-” He pointed at where he was looking at and the girl shifted her sight in that general direction, noticing two approaching figures. “It seems like this isn’t the case.”

Surprise filled her as she had indeed thought that they were the last ones for the ceremonial event and her shock grew a little more when said individuals got close enough to properly see the details of their appearance.

One was a Cat Prime that was giddily being the lead of the duo, dragging his own bags in his hands with ease while following closely behind was a human, also a male, quite winded by the paced speed they were both going at.

The human had short, curly dark-hair and a pair of light-blue eyes that just looked a little… mesmerizing.

He was wearing an open half-sleeved red jacket with a white shirt and a pair of dark-brown baggy pants.

“Seems like we got there just in time!” The Cat pointed out with a happy smirk. “And I didn’t have to park close just like you wanted-”

“I would have appreciated not having to go through another march after the little marathon of mere minutes ago,” The human interrupted with an annoyed voice.

“Then you should have set up an alarm like you told me a while ago!” He shot back with a long sigh, gaining a huff from the human as he turned his attention back at the two other Primes. “Still, it’s good to see a fine lady and… her little brother?”

Hope felt her lips twitching at that familiar comment, having heard of people mistake Shin as a younger sibling or cousin and the young man was quick to reply to this.

“Actually no, I’m one of the first-year students,” The fellow feline answered with a polite smile. “And I’m actually surprised you need to bring so many bags at once, did you ask your friend here to-”

“Nah, he is a student too.”

There was a moment of silence, and Hope was quick to pick up the issue on her own.

Both Shin’s and her eyes widened in surprise as they turned their attention back at the human, a little red hue on his cheeks at the embarrassing focus he was receiving.

“I- Surely there had to have been a mistake-”

“I-I had to triple-check to make sure it was right, so no mistakes,” The dark-haired man replied with a hesitant shrug. “Mom decided to sent the form with picture and all other details, ending up to get the acceptance letter.”

To add further legitimacy to his words, he slowly went to pick up the plasticized Student ID from his pocket and… it was a real one.

“That’s quite the unusual circumstance,” Shin admitted with some awe. “But I don’t think there is truly a Prime-only restriction over students trying out to access to Prism.”

But it shouldn’t be as unique as it was if it was the case.

She had never heard of a human managing to sneak in as a student to Prism Uni and she was fairly sure that her mother had mentioned that there was actually a ‘Prime-only’ restriction to the enrollment.

Maybe it was best to give her a call once the ceremony was over.

“By the way, we almost forgot,” The human intervened with a softened tone of voice, devoid of any of the annoyance she had listened in it. “This here is Miles Lionheart,” The Cat Prime gave a flashy smile but the friend was already pointing at his chest. “And I’m Frankie Parker.”

“My name is Shin Aryoko and it’s nice to meet you.”

The White Tiger Prime gave a little polite bow before turning his attention to her and… she sighed.

“I’m… I’m Hope Ravenhurst,” She introduced herself with an uneasy tone, causing Frankie to frown.

“Did we say anything wrong?” The young man asked with a concerned voice, her green eyes widened when the other guys looked at her with different degree of worry, making her blush a little more.

“N-No, it’s just that I- I didn’t expect to make some friends today and… I’m still nervous about the ceremony.”

Shin nodded kindly while Miles gave a silent shrug-

“There is something else,” He guessed with an intrigued tone of voice. “Something got you by the edge.”

The girl tensed up, panic surging at the possibility that her little annoyance over her little time with Shin having been ruined by their presence to come up so suddenly and without warning.

But instead of pressing for that moment of weakness, Frankie leaned back with a sheepish expression.

“I suppose I might have sounded a little bit unpleasant a while back with Miles but… we are good friend-”

“Frankie here is my first buddy!” The Cat Prime said while lightly nudging at the human’s shoulder. “And while he sound a little exasperated, it’s because the moron decided to wake up early without an alarm.”

“I thought going back to sleep earlier than usual would have done the trick.”

With this curious diversion, Hope’s mind momentarily forgot about the close-call and she found herself fascinated by the explanation provided by the human.

“But that doesn’t work as a method,” She said with a calm tone.

“I know,” Frankie replied with a little whine. “But I was tired for the Jetlag and I was being dumb and prideful about it all.”

“B-But,” The young woman paused as she had her free hand reach for her lips, trying to contain a burst of giggle from leaving. “That sounds incredibly awful.”

“Yet you are smiling,” He pointed out with a fake pout. “And I see you’re not nervous right now.”

Surprise reappeared on her face, but she quickly blinked it away at this realization.

“And I think we should also get going,” Miles said while looking at the watch he had on his right wrist, “Just two minutes to begin the ceremony and all of that so we better get going.”

They all shared a nod and entered inside the main building, while Hope’s mind continued to ponder over this situation.

Not only did she was happy because Shin was here too, but also now she got two new friends so suddenly.

Miles looked a little over-confident, but overall a nice guy and… Frankie was nice.

The sole human did seem to sport some real concern when she tried to deflect the attention she was getting over her little annoyance but it was nice to see him back away without pressuring her too much.

What an odd beginning for her first day here at Prism University and…

_**The day wasn’t over just yet!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN
> 
> Little experiment. I want to say that this story is not connected to ‘The Golden Month’ and, while I do have a storyline that spans for several chapters, I’m unsure if this will be continue without feedback.
> 
> I would love to listen to any advice, comments or anything in general as I feel like this story is quite interesting since it focuses on quite the curious timeline that one of the comics tried to explore before getting discontinued.


	2. It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (2)

**Chapter 2: It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (2)**

The large amphitheater was truly a fascinating sight to look at.

It took me a moment after entering the building to realize that I had been stuck mesmerized for two solid seconds, everyone having already moved to pick their respective seats by the remaining chairs in front of the center-spot.

The presentation room had a circular inner section that was currently containing twelve tall statues showing the twelve Crests that had fought bravely against the Emperor back centuries ago.

Heroes of their time that had battled for ages before the final conflict, and that were still living among us after defeating one of the greatest threat directed at the galaxy as a whole.

It would be incredibly lucky for any Prime or human to find one of them in a normal circumstance as only the Crest of Fire and the Crest of Wisdom were known to the public, while the rest had mostly disappeared from known sight to enjoy their private life away from annoyances.

The former of the two being a major businesswoman about anything related to fitness products, while the latter was the High Prime herself, the current leader of the Kingdom, Lady Ambar.

Just as I took my own seat beside Miles, I glanced around at the lines of young men and women sitting in front of us and waiting for the ceremony to truly begin.

But in that very glance, I also noticed that the room the new students were the only one occupying the massive room.

The seats placed all around the outer ‘ring’ of the room were mostly occupied by other Primes, students from the other years that had been invited to personally watch the unfolding of this ceremonial event.

I felt a spike in my nervousness at this development as I hadn’t expected this circumstance, but I managed to steel myself from showing any signs of my inner distress before I glanced at the Cat Prime sitting on my left.

Miles looked pretty chill about this detail, incredibly so as he was grinning eye to eye while trying to catch glimpses of the various older girls that he could eventually hit on after today was over.

My attention then moved to see Shin, the blond merely give a thorough look over the room with some awed expression at the presence of so many people at once but seemingly unfazed by the elevated number of people staring back at us.

I couldn’t see Hope’s reaction from where I was sitting.

With both Miles’ and Shin’s (mostly Miles’) bodies hiding her from my sight, but I could only guess she was faring alright as well.

Focusing my eyes at the currently vacant podium as I tried my best to keep my mind away from thinking about the fact we were being watched by so many people at once.

Seriously, I thought that this was supposed to be a private ceremony, not one meant to be visioned by hundreds of students!

I took another sigh, this one trying to get my breathing under control to not spiral into some unneeded panic and… I felt someone pull at my shirt.

I turned to glance at Miles as he gave me a supportive smile.

“C’mon pal, we are here to win now,” He half-whispered while softly patting at my shoulder, causing me to relax a little more.

**We were here to win now.**

With the acceptance to come here confirmed and validated, with the fact we reached Prism Uni in time… yes, we were here to begin our school year!

Excitement slowly started to replace my nervousness and I noticed that an old woman, a Puma Prime, had taken her place in front of the podium.

She had her dark-hair combed in a small bun and her gray eyes were hidden behind a pair of black spectacles; she was also wearing a formal gray business dress with a skirt that reached low below her knees.

“Young students of Prism University, today we are here to introduce the newest batch of young men and women that will join the literate life of this illustrious academy to our honorable establishment-”

There was a pause and I could hear a little noise coming from afar right by the direction where the woman was giving her speech, just a little bit more further from her.

_Was that a… giggle?_

The Puma Prime glanced around back and settled her eyes in a particular spot not-so far away from the podium as two other individuals were approaching from behind with a modest pace.

Both were Bear Primes with red hairs and, looking closely at the scene, I could say that they looked to be related to one another.

The oldest of the two had a light-brown fur with a lighter spot around her left eye and, speaking of her eyes, both were mostly closed, enough to keep their colors hidden to any looker; She was wearing a blue Chinese dress with golden details.

My attention moved to the second of the youngest.

My focus was initially taken by the strange yellow four-pointed star-like spot she had by her forehead before switching to her semi-formal set of clothes made by a dark shirt and a pair of light-blue shirts that reached down to her formal shoes.

As I tried to return my attention back to what was going on by the podium, I couldn’t help but find myself fixed on her face once more.

It wasn’t any elements that truly got me freezing, but the fact that she was currently staring back at me with her blank-looking light-blue eyes.

I blinked and she blinked back, but didn’t do anything else from moving away her stare and thus I did continue with the situation as I was… confused as to what to do about this circumstance.

I could recognize the older Bear Prime, having seen pictures of Lady Ambar before, but this was the first time I saw the young woman beside her.

They were related, or maybe they weren’t? Did Lady Ambar have a family?

_I wonder what’s her name._

She looked bored… but also not. There was something odd about her dull-looking expression as her eyes seemed to show more emotions compared to her own face.

It was an odd situation for sure, but one I didn’t felt that much weirded out about.

Maybe it was because I was already nervous and I couldn’t perceive much of it, but the mere staring had quite the soothing effect on my mind and… I almost lost myself in that predicament.

“L-Lady Ambar, I thought I was allowed to have some peace during the speech,” The Puma Prime pointed out with some hesitation, drawing another giggle from the Crest of Wisdom.

I felt pulling once again, this time Miles looked slightly confused.

“You alright?” The Cat Prime asked with some interest. “You’ve been staring at that strange chick for some time now.”

I blinked, a little red hue on my cheeks. “I was just looking at her and… she was looking back, I don’t know,” I shook my head in ignorance at what had just happened and the guy patted my back.

“Worry not, maybe she is just surprised at finding someone like you here.”

_Yeah, someone ‘like me’._

I glanced up at him and gave a quick nod. “I guess that’s the case...”

“And I think I’m not saying anything that should disrupt your ‘peace’, Madam Jacqueline,” Ambar replied with a certain confidence in her tone. “But please, continue with the speech. We wouldn’t want to delay the presentation any further.”

The dark-haired woman nodded and returned her attention to the podium.

“A-As I was saying, today is the beginning of your new life here at Prism University and I, Madam Jacqueline, the Deputy Headmistress, can assure you all that the staff will actively help you through the obstacles presented by your days here at this outstanding college,” She resumed with a small smile. “But mostly important, today will also be remembered as the day where this university accepted the first human student in the first year.”

I tensed up a little as her attention was now onto me.

“I would normally ask for Mr. Parker to come here and give a minor speech, considering the monumental weight behind such predicament,” The Deputy Headmistress continued with a nod towards me, causing me to pale a little more. “I’ve decided to accept Lady Ambar’s fair point that giving too much pressure to a first-year student might be too much and thus we will avoid creating any discomfort to Mr. Parker.”

Still, I got my name publicized to the entire school.

_What a funny development._

“To wrap up and conclude this important event, I wish for you young men and women to know that Prism University will be the staircase that will lead you to true maturity and a good way to access to your future as young adults,” The Puma Prime concluded, drawing a lengthy clapping from the various people within the room, even the students merely looking at all of this unraveling. “And now, I would direct you to follow Mr. Hawthorne’s lead as he will take you all to the vacant sections of the campus where you will be able to pick the room with one or two fellow students that will be your roommates for your stay in the dormitories.”

She gave one last nod. “Once more, Welcome to Prism University.”

We were already standing from our chairs and moving as a single group while following this ‘Mr. Hawthorne’, the Collie Prime with white hair and chocolate-brown eyes seemed fairly happy of the task given to him.

Randal was one of the oldest students here at the college, in his last year to obtain a degree in Agricultural Advanced Management so that he can help back home.

How was I aware of this much information about this genuinely friendly man? While he was taking us all to the dormitories, the Collie had taken his time to talk about himself, how the campus is structured and how lessons were usually scheduled.

It wasn’t boring to listen to the easygoing nature of his words while he gave us a proper tour of the entire university.

Actually I found myself fascinated in the exhaustive way he was describing the life here at Uni, but I think I could understand the interest from everyone to actually rush to their new rooms and settle down their things.

“By the way, Frankie.”

I almost tripped at the sudden call and I glanced behind to see Shin trailing close with Hope, the girl looked a little exhausted from dragging around her own bags and she didn’t seem to have that much experience in pulling this much weight for so long.

“Yes, Shin?”

“Can I ask you… why were you staring at Nae- _Lady Ambar’s daughter_?”

I blinked at the query, confused at the fact that I hadn’t stared at- Wait, that means that the girl with that blank-looking expression was-

“You mean to tell me that I just stared at… Lady Ambar’s daughter?!” I let out the last bit with a panicked outburst.

The White Tiger Prime gave a slow nod and then showed a surprised look.

“Wait, you didn’t know who she was?” He asked again and I shook my head. “But you were looking at each other for a while, at least until Miles pointed that out.”

“S-She was the first one staring, I was just looking at them like everyone else and before I could look back at the Deputy Headmistress, I noticed her eyes on me,” I tried to explain with some bits of nervousness, still unsure about the whole ‘I just shared something of a staring contest with the daughter of Lady Ambar’.

_Like, was I going to receive some dangerous message anytime soon or was this situation going to be forgotten by the young woman?_

“Still, that is quite odd,” The White Tiger Prime pressed on with a certain hint of curiosity. “I wonder what could have gotten Naerie’s interest on yourself.”

_...Her name is Naerie?_

“I’m still surprised that Madam Jacqueline had initially planned to have you give a speech on our first day here,” Hope piped in with a little shiver. “That would have been quite embarrassing and nerve-wracking.”

I nodded, the prospect of being put before this much attention so soon causing me quite some uneasiness to spread into my expression.

“I saw you pale when she mentioned that,” The girl continued with a concerned voice. “Are you sure that you are alright now?”

I almost tripped at the genuinely-worried inquiry and I felt my lips twitch about it all.

“I-I’m alright,” I tried to dismiss this unexpected effort, trying to not sound impolite with my tone.

I glanced at her green eyes and gave a quick nod, a small smile appearing on her face.

“Good, I guess we are even now about what happened a while ago,” She said while giving a brief bout of giggles before turning her attention back to Shin, leaving me to contemplate about what she just did there.

But before I could waste enough time to ponder over this surprising behavior, I felt someone wrap their arm around my neck and bring their lips close to my ears.

“ _You know,_ ” Miles whispered in a teasing manner. “ _If you don’t want her to notice that you are crushing on her, you might need to turn down a little the blushing._ ”

I was blushing, but it wasn’t because of Hope’s words. It couldn’t be… couldn’t it?

I mean she did look quite cute and friendly, maybe it was because of how lovely she was about interactions…

_**Yep, my brain is failing right now.** _

Instead of trying to escalate things even more by either denying or ignore that tease, I decided to go for a distraction.

“S-So, if there is a bunk bed, will you pick top or bottom?”

_Please take the bait, please take the bait, please take the-_

The Cat Prime hummed, his face moving away from mine as he thought about this ‘incredibly complicated’ dilemma.

“We could have Shin stay on top and you stay on the floor,” He pointed out amusingly, ending up drawing a confused frown out of me.

“Why the floor?”

“Because the weather is warm nowadays and I remind you that we have fur," He explained with a comical sigh. “Do you know how _horrible_ it is to be sweating with fur while sleeping on the floor?”

I blinked. “Pretty awful considering you are literally leaving me the floor.”

“I’m not _leaving you_ to the floor, pal,” He chuckled a little, giving me a shake while I was still in his hold. “I would offer the couch first if there is one.”

“Jerk,” I snorted before sharing a chuckle with Miles over the situation.

Then I turned my attention right at Shin as the younger Prime was lost in a conversation with Hope.

“How old do you think Shin is?” I mumbled out of curiosity, this time not as a distraction and more of a genuine curiosity since just now I was noticing that the White Tiger Prime looked far shorter than the other students around him.

Golden eyes showed the same curiosity I had about this topic and Miles hummed about it.

“I suppose we could ask the runt,” He said before turning to the young man. “Hey Shin, how old are you?”

The blond looked surprised at hearing the loud question, but he gave a sheepish smile and nodded.

“Oh right, I guess I do look younger than others,” He admitted with a certain degree of nervousness. “I’m 16, by the way.”

I was ready to ask something help, but froze in surprise as the answer ultimately sunk within my brain, causing my eyes to widen at the White Tiger.

“W-Wait how did you-”

“Skipping grades,” Hope interrupted with a small smile, glancing briefly at the slightly-nervous friend of hers. “Shin is incredibly smart.”

“He literally skipped High School,” The Cat Prime commented with a fair amount of shock. “I think that is just a little more than ‘incredibly smart’.”

The boy blushed while the girl giggled at the genuine praise directed at the fellow Prime.

“I-I’m not _that_ smart.”

“Shin, skipping four years of education is being ‘that’ smart,” I countered his attempt to dismiss the flattering words. “But I can assure you that it ain’t anything to be shy about, especially with us.”

“Really?” He asked with some surprise.

“Yeah, I mean. We have all met smart people in the past few years at school and you don’t seem overly nerdy about stuff so I will say that you are super-smart also because you were friendly and quite supportive back there,” I replied at him calmly. “But you have to promise me that you will not allow Miles to copy from you during tests.”

The Cat Prime sported a betrayed look on his face. “What? But… what about the Bro Code?”

“After you ‘offered’ me the couch?” I shot back with a smug smirk on my face. “I think you dropped your copy of the Bro Code down the trash can, you prick.”

A round of chuckles followed from both Shin and I, while Hope giggled at the sudden conclusion of it all as Miles huffed at the unexpected sentence, trying to fight back a smile from forming on his face.

_**This sure was going to be a fun several years to spend with these guys.** _

* * *

**~Change of POV~**

It wouldn’t be a lie to say that she was now interested in how things were going to develop from now on with a human here at Prism Uni.

Sighing while moving out of her chair, the young woman started to make her way towards the exit.

She felt someone giggling beside her but she didn’t need to look at the person in question to know who it was and she hummed quietly.

“Did you see how cute he looked there, Vixy?” The slightly-taller Tiger Prime mirthfully commented while giving her a full stare with her green eyes. “I mean, he looked so adorbs when he thought he was going to give a speech in front of everyone.”

Try with ‘utterly terrified’, and rightfully so considering that a first-year should never be subjected to that kind of attention.

Not many were prepared to face the burden of going through that kind of duties so early on.

Vixy merely nodded, her attention mostly directed at a little ruffled spot of her cheerleader uniform that prompted her to fix it properly.

The Fox Prime then reached to adjust one of the rebellious golden locks that had tried to stray from the way she had combed her red-and-yellow hair.

Tracy Biggs, better-known to the cheerleaders’ club and other with her affectionate nickname as ‘Tiggs’, gave a huff at her friend’s lack of verbal response over her words.

Moving away some of her purple locks from her sight, the Tiger Prime decided to speak once again.

“So you don’t think much of this new development or-”

“Of course I find it interesting, Tiggs,” Vixy ultimately interceded with a minor scowl. “But I was thinking more about the troubling ramification his presence here will bring with the ‘balance of power’.”

Tiggs blinked in surprise, but gave a positive nod as the two moved through the campus alone and without any distractions. “You think Davin will try to approach him?”

“That moron wouldn’t find him an interesting individual,” The most popular girl of Prism Uni answered with a certain sureness. “Albeit he would be curious about the human, I think his main priority will be Ms. Ravenhurst.”

The taller woman nodded at her well-pondered thought… before frowning and giving her a quizzical look.

“Who?”

The Fox Prime sighed at this, but conceded to the fact her interlocutor was unaware of whom she was talking about.

In fact, this very information was came from two different sources, one more biased than the other.

Her mother had been incredibly vocal in their last call just a few days ago, mentioning how she needed to keep away from approaching Hope Ravenhurst, once again pointing out how disappointing the Ravenhurst family was with their ‘stupid Love Clan tactics’.

Her father had been a little more restrained, but while he had voiced some caution as usual with children with Crests’ parents, he had also been keen to point out that both Hope and the little runt walking beside her, Shin, were both people that she could trust in case of need.

Especially Shin as he was the son of the Crest of Light and someone that her dad had met a few years ago while visiting the Aryoko household in Japan.

“The ‘Gazelle Prime’ that was sitting beside that White Tiger Prime, the same last line where the human was,” Vixy explained, drawing a minor snort as her friend nodded in recognition.

“She looked quite pretty,” Tiggs commented with a small smile. “Green eyes and dark hair, but… she didn’t seem to be _that_ much to get his attention.”

“It’s not her appearance that would be his priority,” The young woman continued to explain. “ _Hope_ is a natural singer. She is not ambitious enough to try and establish herself as a pretender to my title, but still her ability is nothing to scoff at.”

“Oh?” The Tiger Prime looked surprised by this detail, but not enough to press for more about it as her attention was slightly taken by the fact that they had finally reached the entrance that led to the locker room of this part of the campus.

A training session for the club was supposed to start very soon as it had been delayed from earlier that morning for the ceremony that had just finished.

The other girls were surely inside, ready and waiting for them to arrive too, but Tiggs decided to resume the conversation by changing the topic by just a little.

“Should we try to recruit Hope in our group then?” The proposal was sudden and the Fox Prime paused with wide eyes at the offer. “I mean, I don’t know if she would be good as a cheerleader but-”

“You would want me to use this as a pretext to take a shot at Davin’s popularity?” Vixy inquired with a certain confusion. “Even though the excuse is too weak as, like you said, we don’t know if Ravenhurst is good enough as a cheerleader?”

“Uh- I mean, wouldn’t it still be an effort against him-”

“He would ignore it, Tiggs,” The girl interrupted with a sigh. “While a good slight would get him pissed, one that is half-botched would actually be seen as his own victory against us.”

The taller Prime nodded as she started to carefully fix her clothes and pick her pom-poms from her locker.

“Then… what if we try to...” She stumbled a little, unsure what she should propose to her leader, but then she got an idea. “What if you use your contact in the Singing Club?”

Vixy sighed, ready to shot down this new proposal as she knew that the club in question was suffering from a major lack of funds to sustain itself… but then the girl remember about some of the last words she heard from the leader of the club.

The Wolf Prime with dark-gray fur and black eyes had been so desperate in trying to find some new singers that could boost their current ranks as a good show happening in their weekly attempts to draw more donations would probably lift them from the ground.

If Hope was sent to join them and help them up, not only would it be seen as a favor scored in Vixy’s favor as she would be the one presenting the younger girl to the group, but she would also remove her from dealing with Davin’s attempts at get the Ravenhurst in his little clique.

“It could… work,” The Fox Prime ultimately conceded with a fascinated tone, glancing at the giddy look on Tiggs’ face. “But it would require some meticulous effort to get the plan to perfectly work.”

Nonetheless, the fellow cheerleader nodded while letting out a little giggle, turning towards the main room where the session was meant to happen.

“Okay, I will be checking on the girls then,” The Tiger Prime commented with some eagerness. “Wouldn’t want to see them slacking off now that we are here.”

Vixy nodded back and stood behind as she was finally left alone in the locker room while her mind decided to delve back in the issue created by the presence of a human here at Prism.

Maybe the origin of her personal worry about the matter was related to the fact that neither her mother, nor her father had told her about this new situation and she was quite sure that at least one of them would have commented about the subject itself.

Her mother would have spoken about it for sure, especially with how her perception of humanity was a mixed one.

To her, humans were simply weaker than Primes but their adaptable nature make them apprentices as good as normal Primes in her fitness projects.

It was a novelty for sure, but one that the leader of the cheerleaders was unsure how to pick properly.

Humans were inherently unpredictable wherever they were and the individual that was Frankie Parker looked to be fairly reserved about his own manners.

He seemed to be shy and yet it was also possible that this attitude was one born from the important event he was present by and Vixy was certain that any indirect attempt wouldn’t get anything out of him.

Not only was he forming bonds with both Shin Aryoko and Hope Ravenhurst, but he did seem genuine in his efforts to keep away from the spotlight from the way he paled at the possibility of having to give a speech on his first day here at the university.

But which reasoning could be used so that she could approach him in a friendly manner and get a proper reading of what he was like?

A blunt approach now would be seen more as a power move.

Something that she was well-aware to not force now that there were so many interested people from the more relevant groups that are staring at this oddity from afar now and pondering her same dilemma.

Sending Tiggs in her stead would also be seen as a blatant attempt from her part to maybe ‘recruit’ him in her clique, which wouldn’t be a smart idea since she was still uncertain over his worth here at the school.

And while there was a considerable thinking behind the fact that he, as a human, was picked to join the school years here at Prism, there was quite the major mystery behind the methods used to decide which of the possible students would get to be picked to join the school.

It would be silly to gauge his ‘weight’ from this circumstance alone and, after spending some time in the social circles of Prism Uni, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that she was well-accustomed with the riskiness behind any moves of this caliber.

A wrong step could easily shatter one’s reputation and for the sake of her current peaceful standing, it was best to not shake the boat so suddenly and so brutally.

There was just a chance that would give her the means to personally approach Frankie without getting the attention of anyone even so remotely dangerous to her leadership.

And that was by finding him at the end of one of the classes he had picked for his specialization.

It would take some day to get the schedule properly compiled, but while the process would be painstakingly slow, it was the only way to get a safe mean to approach the young man without triggering some unwanted alarm.

Putting on her pom-poms, Vixy closed her locker with a final sigh, her blue eyes turning her attention right at the door as she prepared to face the first training session of the year, ready to give some motivational words to the gals before beginning with the usual routine.

She smiled inwardly as she left the locker room to find Tiggs waiting for her after concluding some discussion with the other girls.

The rest of the cheerleaders were looking eager and ready for another year of impressive actions.

And as the leader of the group, she couldn’t help but be excited herself about it all.

For now her little concerns would have to wait, not only for the sake of giving proper guidance to her group but also to enjoy for herself the peace of mind that these practices would give her every time.

Away from the pressure, away from her mother’s ambitions for her and… away from the fact that she was once again single after what happened last summer.

She hid a scowl at the mere mentioning of that dreadful detail, the circumstance itself still fresh in her mind but the girl managed to perfectly hid it away from the other girls.

_**This was a good day after all, and she couldn’t certainly allow to spoil it for herself and the others.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN
> 
> Another chapter, the conclusion of the final day and… Vixy and Tiggs are here too.
> 
> 'And you forgot about me, little one.'
> 
> Oh right. Hi Am-
> 
> 'I’m still mad that you called me late last day for that sudden Review Q&A, and I thought I was the one annoying you by popping around in your other stories.'
> 
> You kinda are an-
> 
> 'Nope, you don’t get that privilege now!'
> 
> ...Okay?
> 
> 'And by the way, do you think I look fabulous in that old Chinese dress?'
> 
> You look… gorgeous?
> 
> 'I will accept it, *hugs the author*, but I will take you as a hostage until you confirm the update of the Golden Month for Thursday.'
> 
> *Sigh* Fine I will-
> 
> 'Oh no~, I mean you will be stuck here in this embrace until you will be writing that on Thursday.'
> 
> You… are planning to hug me for two days straight?
> 
> 'If I have to even more at the possibility you miss the update.'
> 
> ...Okay. (The fur is actually… nice to the touch.)


	3. It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta-Reader: Ant0nius (FFN)

The start of these beginning days at Prism Uni proved to be fairly normal, considering the new disposition I had to get accustomed to.

While Miles was still fairly eccentric with his ‘main priority’ when people were around, he surprised me when he turned into someone more manageable to deal with once we were away from public sight.

When I first took notice of this unexpected mood swing, I decided to inquire about while we were setting up the content of our bags in the proper placements within the room.

The answer was surprising, but I could see some logic behind this behavioral stunt.

The Cat Prime was ‘flexing’ this confident posture to gain the attention of the young women that were studying there, maybe even gain some date out of it since ‘chicks dig confident guys’.

This wasn’t a bad idea, as I have heard of former classmates getting into a relationship by appearing to be confident in various instances where their fiances were around.

But perhaps he was taking this piece of advice a tad bit in the wrong direction, as the only thing that his attitude would spell out to others is that he was terribly arrogant and quite vainglorious.

Of course this wasn’t the case, as the guy had been very friendly and not as rude as his giddiness would suggest. However, one view was the truth of what a person truly was, and another was the public image that other people created from these interactions and sights.

We ended up striking a conversation with Shin as well, doing so while immersed in concluding the ‘preparations’ for our temporary home for a year or two.

The White Tiger Prime proved to be very meticulous in pointing out that it was best for the three of us to try and get a flat before the end of our second year here, mostly because of the issue presented by the curfew.

If we were to try and find a part-time job during our stay here at Prism, there was a high chance that it would be mandatory to apply for the late shifts because of the tight schedule pushed by the school week for the daytime.

It was a gloomy realization that I had just barely thought about since my mind had been mostly fixed over the importance of making a good appearance for the first few days.

Yet I wasn’t incredibly bothered by the instance for some good reasons.

I had some general plans to finish a large number of the first-years subjects before the end of the year, enough to free my workload enough to keep up with any job prospect that could happen by my second year at the Uni.

With I moved out of California, I deprived of the opportunity of keeping my previous job as a junior technician at a supermarkets close to home.

It had been a temporary situation anyway, but now I was deprived of increasing my currently-limited amount of money at my disposal.

So while I could manage to handle my savings for a full year, there was a legitimate worry in the form of securing some job because of the fact that this was Prism.

The city was blossoming with new activities and openings in old ones, but those were swarmed by newly-qualified Primes that were patiently waiting to get in some well-paid position that best represented their qualifications.

So yes, it was going to be quite the tough situation to face about in the next year, yet I was confident enough that some work would still pop up for me to take and get some coin out of it in the long-term planning.

Still, my conversation with Miles and Shin allowed me to learn more about them.

The former stated that he had been living in one of the minor cities near Prism ever since he could walk, and that this wasn’t the first time he had been in the capital. 

The latter provided some fascinating details about where he came from.

Shin was born in a traditional Japanese household where his father was usually busy going oversea for business trips, leaving him and his younger sister to live under the care of their mother.

He was also particularly careful with his words while he was mentioning both of his parents.

Not only did the White Tiger Prime blatantly ignore some of the questions about what kinds of people they were, he was also swift in shifting the conversation to the fact that he had known Hope for several years now. This was because her parents were friends with his.

The youngest of the trio was also very reserved when describing the ‘uneasy terms’ he had to leave his home with for the sake of having a chance to study there instead of taking in the duties of heir to the family.

But what actually surprised me was the fact that there was actually a family of Primes that lived by the rules of ancient Japan.

Many traditions from the older Earth had gone mostly extinct after the conclusion of the War and it was odd that someone would stick by those life’s laws, especially if the people in question were Primes.

Yet the most curious fact was about why Shin was so nervous about giving out even a little more about his family, almost making it appear that some unpleasant predicament had happened before he had left for Prism.

In the end, I didn’t press him for more info about this as I felt that would have been quite the dumb move from my part to try with someone I had been friends with after just so little time.

After we were done with preparing our room and after everything in our bags had been carefully put in the proper sections of the place, we decided to meet up with Hope to spend lunch with her.

It would be an understatement to say how relieved she looked when she spotted us entering the little restaurant we had agreed to go for lunch & dinner. She almost rushed over just to greet us.

A surprising attitude from what I had seen being a fairly-shy young woman with people she wasn’t that much attached to, but one that was easily motivated once she explained what had happened after we had left for our rooms.

Her little narration shed some light over how she had spent her time the moment she had reached her dorm room, her first objective being fixing her bed and placing her own things in her side of the place.

The other girl that had been picked to share the room, a Shark Prime, had merely left the room without trying to fix anything about her own side, leaving these chores to a later date instead of freeing herself up of this burden early on.

Silence and boredom had weighed a lot on the Gazelle Prime’s head as the awkward development had left her pretty much lonely while she had gone through her tasks, leaving her a little disappointed about whom was going to be her roommate.

Thus, when Shin called her to mention the fact that we were planning to share lunch and dinner together as a group, Hope had been quick to accept the proposal and spend some time with us.

I was also given a partial glimpse of the dark-haired girl’s life during this opportunity as she partially mentioned how her sister would have loved how the meat was served in the restaurant.

She was as reserved as Shin was with her family, if not worse as she kept the topic of her discussions stuck to the present instead of bringing up other details about her own background.

Once both events were concluded, we decided to make our way back to Uni and straight to our respective rooms to catch some early rest for the big day that waited for us.

Sleep came quickly and the next morning I woke up with quite the insufferable development to deal with.

I recall opening my eyes to this partially-familiar ceiling of the dorm room. The recollection of events that occurred slowly entered my mind, but I still recalled fast enough that I wasn’t alone anymore.

Miles and Shin were still sleeping as it was still fairly early in the morning and…

_**Did I just end up getting up way too early?** _

_**Yesterday I had overslept, and now I had woken up four hours before lessons started?** _

I held back from groaning at the infuriating circumstance, knowing how futile it would have been to waste time getting annoyed by this development.

Picking up the uniform that had been tailored to best fit my sizes, I walked inside the single bathroom and closed the door behind me.

I let a sigh leave my lips before I went through the usual routine I was most accustomed with.

The cleanup process took me about twenty minutes of serious attention, my thoughts diverted away for the period of time as I carefully prepared myself for what was going to be one of the more important days for my stay here at school.

First impressions were still something that mattered a lot for many teachers and, while many would deny this, I wasn’t going to make a poor figure of myself since I was the only human in this University.

Once I was done with the bathroom break, I walked outside with my folded Pjs under my arm and I quickly noticed that Shin was already sitting on his bed, clearly awake.

There was still some sleepiness on his face, yet I could distinctly see that there was also some shock at the sight of me coming out of the bathroom.

“You’re... already awake?” He asked with a hint of confusion.

I shrugged at his surprised query, knowing well myself that it was a true surprise.

“I just woke up early today,” I replied curtly, unwilling to think that I somehow managed to get up before the “Also, I’m already done with the bathroom.”

The boy gave a solid nod at my response, glad that I had vacated the place as he slowly got up from his own bed to get his own uniform, smiling a little before closing the door behind himself once he was inside the bathroom.

I turned my attention to the slowly-awakening Miles, approaching him quietly as he started to blink silently at the ceiling.

“Morning.”

The Cat Prime glanced to give me a look, staring at me for a long time before displaying a hint of panic on his face.

“Please, tell me that I didn’t wake up late-”

“You didn’t,” I interrupted with a quiet hum, surprised by this misunderstanding. “It’s barely 6 and… Shin got inside the bathroom a little while ago.”

He eased his posture a little, relief washing upon his face.

“Oh, if that’s the case-” The Cat Prime tensed up again and his golden eyes were once more staring at me, this time in shock. “Wait, if it’s that early, when you did get up to get yourself ready?”

I frowned. “I… woke up half an hour ago?”

“What? But then how did you deal with the fur and- Oh right.”

Miles was so close to face palm as I grinned at his little mistake he had been so close to go with.

“Funny to consider that I don’t have to deal with that much maintenance,” I smugly mused, enjoying a little the faux-glare coming from him.

“Oh, shut up,” He replied smartly before getting up from his bed. “Ladies love finding a well-cared fur and good hair in their possible future boyfriend.”

“Well, not everyone can be as handsome as you are, I suppose,” I mirthfully ‘agreed’ to him, causing him to scoff in mock-irritation.

“By the way, why do we need to wake up this early?” The Cat Prime inquired with some true irritation over the subject. “While I understand that this is the first day, I don’t see how waking up three hours before lessons can’t help us with-”

“The place is massive,” I interjected with a serious sigh. “And the timetables don’t have much info on how to get in the right classrooms for the lectures.”

He frowned at this.

“Wait, I remember you saying something about reading multiple times the map of the Uni-”

“As I said, the University is massive and we were surely going to deal with some big crowds if we decided to wake up later than now,” I pressed on with some insistence. “Plus, we might not share together all the classes.”

Before Miles could have commented about this, another voice piped in the discussion.

“I know that Hope has to deal with Maths for the first two hours,” Shin intervened as he left the bathroom in that very moment, catching both me and the Cat Prime by surprise at how quick he had been with his routine. “While Frankie and I have ‘Last Age of Old Earth.’”

…

“How did you get clean so quickly?” Miles asked loudly, eyes wide open in unexpected shock. “Y-you fur and everything you- you are clean but-”

The White Tiger Prime sported a sheepish expression before nodding back at us. “I-It’s a secret.”

The fellow Prime seemed ready to pressure more about the subject, clearly interested in the mysterious way the younger student had managed to be this fast with his routine, but I decided to poke at his shoulder.

“You can ask him later,” I muttered to Miles, the young man glancing at me quizzically and a little craze-looking by the odd circumstance itself. “You should probably focus on quickly get done with the bathroom stuff and-”

“Yeah, yeah...” The Cat Prime huffed at the fact he couldn’t get any answer from that. “But you better tell me how the heck you pulled that one, Shin!”

The door slammed closed, leaving a confused Shin to turn his attention back to me.

“W-Why is he so concerned about-”

“‘Ladies love well-cared fur and hair in their future boyfriends’,” I quoted Miles before sighing. “He isn’t angry or anything, just shocked.”

The blond nodded slowly at my response, his green eyes turning to the door with still some uncertainty.

“Do you think that… I’m too young to stay here?” He asked as he glanced back at me. “I know that I’m short and a little younger but-”

“You are doing fine, Shin,” I interrupted with a kind smile. “I understand you are a little nervous about being belittled, but I promise you that neither Miles nor I think less about you being a little more younger than us.”

A genuine smile appeared on his face and Shin nodded again. “I- I see, thank you.”

“You are welcome.”

\----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----

**~Change of POV~**

_**A few hours later…** _

The classroom was almost filled to the brim with old and new students of the various years, everyone having already taken their seats in the various seats by the benches available for them to occupy.

They all looked to be fairly at ease with the situation, if not a little nervous over the fact that this was the first lesson for everyone here at Prism Uni.

Most of them were also unaware that the professor that was supposed to be hosting this first lesson was one of the most dreaded teachers in the entire University.

All except a small group that included a certain Tobias ‘Toby’ Wainwright.

One of the most famous football players in the school, the young man had dark-red hair and vibrant yellow fur; his eyes were a careful green, tempered by years of training, studying and dealing with the shenanigans at school.

The Lion Prime had been facing this topic for two long years now, and it was the only ‘First-Year’ subject that he hadn’t passed yet.

The main obstacle was the fact that the teacher himself was incredibly pretentious from his students.

He always demanded double over the limits everyone had, and these would usually see a lot of his students either failing or dropping the subject entirely. 

Toby had yet to surrender to the seemingly unreachable requirements that the man responsible for this class had set for everyone to try and achieve, almost dared by the bored stare on the teacher’s face to keep going until the very end.

Professor Aker was one of the scariest Primes the young man had ever encountered, truly an imposing figure that had the haunting pair of yellow eyes.

With shoulder-length dark hair that mixed well with his beard, the man was rarely approached by any of his students and for good reasons too.

His background was shrouded in utter mystery, no one among the students knew much about this unknown character.

The only thing that was sure about this man was that he was incredibly aggressive in his teaching and no lessons was spared by the fact he would target someone to show his impartial capacity as a professor here at Prism.

So when the chattering all around him came to a halt in a mere instant, Toby knew that **he** had finally arrived.

With a calm but guarded pace, Professor Aker proceeded to reach for his desk while giving a silent glance all over the classroom before setting his sight right to a specific spot among the benches.

The Lion Prime carefully trailed the stare back to the man’s target, his own attention directed at the lone human that had joined the school just the day before and was currently sitting beside a young-looking White Tiger Prime.

Frankie Parker was quite an anomaly compared to the usual first-year students.

Someone that has already caught the attention of the group of people Toby was usually hanging with by just existing within the circumstances that led him here to study of all places.

Davin had been just barely surprised by this development as he didn’t care much about this kind of situations, yet he had shown some undeniable interest in seeing what the human was capable of doing and what kind of person he truly was.

Many questions were partially answered by a quick search made by Tiare on her own initiative, thanks to her special info-gathering means.

The Feline Prime had been quick to delve over what was publicly-known about the newest addition to Prism Uni with the help provided by her Nano-Zell Spirit, Era.

Then, once she had gotten enough to file a little report, she had been earnest to describe to the rest of the group the various important details that she had found about this curious individual.

A young man that hailed from California, Frankie was best known for having won two Surf competitions at the age of 14 and 16.

There were also some recommendations from old teachers from his former highschool about his ‘impeccable’ knowledge over advanced informatics and logical analysis that were cemented by the digital and physical presence of some official certifications that offered much more details over his prowess he had over both subjects.

Sadly, there was no correlation about Frankie with football and very little about a little effort in getting to play some soccer, which made him quite difficult to see as a possible candidate for their team.

Tiare was also deterred from pursuing a deeper approach over the study about this young man, growing disinterested about the human after finding out that there was nothing about him having any minimal grasp over the topic of Nano-Zell.

Which was a quick turn-off for the passionate Nano-Zell researcher as she valued ‘true potential’ by that specific branch of technology.

The other members of the group showed little curiosity over the young man and so the matter was left forgotten…

Until now.

“Good morning,” Professor Aker said with his usual silky voice, drawing a quiet pause to let his first words sink in everyone’s mind. “And welcome to the first lecture of this year. A _warm_ welcome to the students that have been studying for so long in my class-”

His yellow eyes returned to glance at the human, the young man shivering in response at the attention he was receiving from those haunting orbs.

“ _And those that are joining us starting today_.”

Once again, a pause ensued at that comment and it left many perplexed over the ominous scenario built by the teacher’s presence and simple words of ‘introduction’ to his class.

It was what truly made the mysterious man stand out the most among the other teachers, despite the roster of quirkier staff member that were known to everyone at the school.

“The subject that I will host with various lessons, ‘Last Age of Old Earth’, is the sublimation of the final years of the Galaxy-wide conflict that saw Old Earth becoming the main battleground for the forces of evil facing against the brave group forged by Primes and… Humans,” The professor continued smoothly, glancing once again around. “This isn’t meant to be considered an ‘easy’ subject that anyone can pass without giving their best, as I take major concern in preparing my students to the arduous tasks of preserving the memories of those that are no longer here to tell their tales.”

It was the same as every year, just a handful of words changing from his usual speech and yet, somehow, it seemed to carry the same weight and importance as it did the first time Toby had heard about this.

A strangely mesmerizing explanation that would snare everyone’s attention to this creepy Prime’s words and thoughts.

“But this year we are also blessed with a unique development that will bring up even more opportunities to retain the beauty and the burden of history itself,” The man switched his tone to one of partial intrigue, showing some rare emotion which got many of his older students to frown upon. “Something that I find quite fascinating and worth exploring.”

He stood up from his chair, glancing directly at the human for the third time since he had entered the classroom.

“Mr. Parker, can you please stand up?”

It sounded like a question, but the pressing tone was enough to make it clear that it was a demand.

Frankie gulped nervously, but complied to the request as he slowly proceeded to stand up.

“Please,come closer to my desk.”

Once again, there was no room to refuse the teacher, and the human made his way down the staircase to the side that led right in front of the teacher’s desk.

It was a morbid scene to look at.

There was a lack of any major sounds as only the whispering of some distant students managed to slightly distort the silence reigning over the humongous room, leaving the predicament to unravel with such a… unnerving pace.

Finally, the human was standing in front of the desk, the teacher nodding as he resumed his speech.

“Mr. Parker, your presence here is quite important to define the context of what will be the general theme of these lessons, especially since your role here will give foundation to the essential bond between Primekind and Humanity,” Professor Aker pointed out. “In fact, correct me if I’m wrong, but one of your ancestors fought in one of the major battles back during the final battle for Earth, right?”

So this was just because one of the young man’s ancestors had fought in that old and mostly forgotten war? But… why?

Why would someone like **him** be interested in something like that?

Still, the human nodded while trying to keep his nervousness down to a manageable level over the sudden proximity with the intimidating Prime.

“Y-Yes, sir.”

There was no quick follow up after that response, the teacher merely taking a seat back to his chair as he glanced thoughtfully at the first-year student.

“Can you please state his name and what made him unique compared to many others?”

Frankie frowned at the two queries in that sentence, but after gulping again he proceeded to answer those.

“He was… Sergeant Edward J. Parker and...” The young man stopped for a moment to ponder well before continuing with his reply. “And I think it was because of his nickname, the ‘Grim Maverick’.”

Toby had to blink twice before accepting the final bit of that answer, surprised by the unexpected nickname given to someone that was somehow… important.

Once again, there was no clue in their interactions that offered some explanation to what was going on.

This looked to be the yearly surprise test that the teacher was known to give to an unsuspecting student, but there was none of the infamous pressure that he would exert against his targets.

In fact, there was just something softer, lenient, about the manners the man was using in that specific scene.

“Mr. Parker, while I will forgive you this slight as this is your first day and I’m subjecting you to quite the non-negligible pressure by having you in front of your peers’ attention, I will tell you the first rule that my students should know about my class,” Professor Aker paused as he glanced to the rest of the classroom. “There is no ‘I think’ or ‘I suppose’. You either know what you are talking about, or you don’t. This is the only warning you will get, and any situation of this kind will be reprimanded with a proper grade.”

…

“But yes, Mr. Parker, you are indeed correct in saying that Edward J. Parker’s nickname had something to do with the importance behind his role during the war, but you are failing to bring up the reason behind such a dreadful nickname,” The man continued with a calmer voice. “Of all humans fighting together with Primes, there were just very few that were bestowed with the glorious honor and draining hardship of supporting the Crests in every battle.”

Everyone was already starting to connect the dots of the clues dispensed so suddenly by the teacher, the Lion Prime having to ponder deeply about what was happening before drawing his own conclusion over the linear explanation.

It seemed like not even Frankie had been aware of the topic itself, the human sporting some surprise at what was slowly unfolding before the class.

“The ‘Grim Maverick’ was one of the soldiers that fought under the command of the Crest of Death, a rare human among the loyal group of warriors pledging their lives to the holder of such a dangerous power,” He finally revealed with quite the fascinated tone before turning his stare back at the rest of the classroom. “And this is why Mr. Parker’s presence brings up the main theme of this subject. The never-ending question about the origins of everything and everyone, and how our presence came to exist like it is right now.”

Professor Aker stood up from his seat and approached the blackboard behind his desk, stopping just a moment from writing into it to glance at the young man.

“Mr. Parker, you may return to your seat and… please take notice that your intervention is considered appreciated for the topic of our first lesson,” The teacher said, stopping from continuing his speech so that Frankie could have returned back to his seat. “Which will be about the first contact and the outbreak of the war upon Earth, the Battle for Lyon.”

From there the true lecture began and everyone started to take notes over the next words coming out of the mysterious professor’s lips, even the human and the White Tiger Prime beside him.

Yet Toby restrained himself from actually giving too much attention at the lesson as the shock born from what had just happened was there to keep him distracted with what the two new students were doing.

Not only did the young man avoid facing the usual brutality that the teacher was known to display before new students, but he also looked far calmer than any other students that had faced the same instance as his.

The Lion Prime was impressed, confused but, most of all, fascinated by what had just happened as this was the first case ever that someone managed to ‘survive’ the pressure of being around the ominous-looking Prime.

It was a noteworthy sight that proved that there was truly something peculiar about Frankie, and that rekindled once more the interest over the kind of individual this curious fellow was.

Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was fascination or… maybe there was truly something that couldn’t just be explained with such a distant approach.

So instead of silently studying the case as he had done until now, the Lion Prime decided to see by himself what kind of person this Frankie Parker was by planning to interact with him once this lesson was over.

_**Who knows, maybe this guy had still something that made him much worthier than he had made him to be.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN
> 
> Third chapter and the story now has a betareader. I think I will never tire to say Eternal Kudos to Ant0nius for correcting the mistakes I’ve left on my quick-writing.
> 
> 'You should seriously consider being a little less neglectful of going back to take notice of your mistakes.'
> 
> I’m trying but… I kind of have 16+ stories up and running, and my brain is just not prioritizing that ‘cause of that.
> 
> 'Still, a lazy approach. Maybe I should punish you.~'
> 
> Please not.
> 
> It wasn’t a question~!
> 
> *Takes a step back* We can talk this civilly-
> 
> 'Once I’m done teaching you the importance of a well-done job. Now, come here~!'
> 
> Ahhhh-
> 
> *Connection Lost*


	4. It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (4)

**Chapter 4: It’s like High-School (Without Musical)! (4)**

**~Hope’s POV~**

When she took a seat beside Miles, she had thought that things wouldn’t be too horrible to deal with today.

It was a strange degree of optimism that strayed from the calm exuding from the Cat Prime, Shin, and Frankie about the lack of concerns for today’s activities.

The first lesson, Math, wasn’t one of her best subjects.

In fact, not only did she dread the return of calculus after the difficult topics she faced in high school, but that this wasn’t even the worst way she could have started her first day here. 

In comparison to the places she had been at in the past few years, the classroom was massive.

Housing about fifty to sixty other students in various chairs set in five large counters that served as desks for entire lines of people sitting close to those, the place looked top-notch in terms of design and construction.

The walls looked to have been repainted quite recently, the benches and chairs were undamaged and seemingly new, and the class itself seemed to calm down once the teacher had arrived in the room.

Placing down her notebook, pens and some erasers, the young woman had planned to give her utmost attention to the lecture, ready to write down hundreds of words in her notes so that she could already start her experience at Prism Uni in the best of situations.

_And maybe Shin would praise her for her hard work._

But of course, this thought was secondary to her inner worry of messing up this early, and… her uneasy state didn’t seem to influence much of what Miles was doing.

Doodling on pages of his notebook while giving the barest attention to what was meant to be just an introductory session to prepare students to the topic they were meant to be starting from this year.

Professor Bellman was a gray-haired dark-furred Mouse Prime with dark-blue eyes.

He had a little bit of belly on his sides, but that barely seemed to break the kindness his expression and overall appearance was displaying to the class.

Rather soft-spoken, he started the lesson by making use of a microphone despite the utter silence domineering in the classroom.

The explanation for this necessity came together with his presentation speech.

The old man started to calmly point out how some medical circumstances got him incapable of raising his voice above a certain pitch, and that he would resign from his post at the end of this school year to retire with a lengthy career.

It sounded fairly sudden for a decision, at least for something that was meant to introduce students to his class, but some of the older students there seemed to not mind it.

In fact, a large majority didn’t seem to actually care for this knowledge, and decided to merely roll with it without any inquiries.

Kind of saddening, but maybe Professor Bellman truly deserved some peace after working for several decades.

The lesson began with a steady but easy pace that managed to get her interested in the topics detailed by the teacher’s words about the basis required to properly begin the study of Uni-level Math.

Some exercises that were meant to be taken as some early homework for the first week were assigned to all first-year students in order to give some preparation about the difficulty the lessons were planning to be once the school session was in full swing.

Nothing too burdening, but still, it was quite surprising for Hope that she had to already sign down some homework… while also urging Miles to do the same.

He seemed highly-receptive of her annoyance when she voiced the importance to at least writing down the homework that had just been left.

Just like Frankie had told her in a brief moment of privacy before parting ways in the two different groups, the Cat Prime’s act was mostly a smoke-screen meant to gain attention and that he was actually polite enough to accept her help if he seemed to need it.

Whispered queries from the young man about some bits of the lesson further cemented the idea that he was somehow still paying attention to the lecture itself.

There were no notes there yet, but Miles was putting genuine effort in keeping up with both his act and what the teacher was talking about.

Briefly sighing while taking a moment to glance back at her notes, Hope nodded at how well things were faring, considering how nervous she had been earlier that morning.

Her green eyes then looked to the side as Miles stifled a silent yawn behind his right hand, lips quick to close up as he returned to stare with a hint of boredom at Professor Bellman’s desk.

It was about an hour in the lesson, another hour left to pass before the first lecture had wrapped up to a closure, but the Gazelle Prime could see why the Cat Prime was having difficulty to keep up after so much time.

Despite the incredibly well-explained topics detailed by the elderly teacher, the strain of enduring two hours each lesson was fairly tiring for anyone that hadn’t been experienced in long waits.

Hope’s saving point was how she had developed something of a strong patience that stemmed from dealing with lengthy singing lessons.

Her voice was harmonious alright, but proper practice had been a must in refining her talent, in what she now felt sure was her main nature.

Singing was relaxing, soothing and… it wouldn’t be a lie that her wish was something she would truly fight for to the very end.

Not only for herself, but to those back home that had shown her support.

Her mother, her father, her sister- everyone that she knew back in New Boothbay.

Another calm sigh left her quiet lips, her stare resuming back to follow the teacher’s figure as the old man continued to explain the formulas that were going to become a must to learn by memory.

Yet, instead of being fully dragged back in that tiring lecture, her attention was spurred by a poke to her elbow.

She glanced back at Miles, and his golden eyes were staring back with a curious look.

“So… wanna talk a little?”

A perplexed expression fell on her face, her eyes narrowing in minor confusion at the unexpected request, but she blinked and… nodded.

“Only a little,” The young woman conceded.

While the two were seated fairly far away from where the teacher was and their distracted selves were covered by some other students, the risk of getting caught not following the lesson wasn’t something she was interested about.

Yet curiosity had started to slowly gnaw at her interest over the subject, her mind now shifting to see what the fellow Prime had planned to talk about.

“You know, I think you aren’t being too subtle about that thing you are trying with Shin.”

...Nevermind, returning back to the lesson at once!-

“I-I don’t know what-”

“Look, Hope,” The Cat Prime interrupted quietly, almost sounding like a half-whispered voice. “I understand that there is some stuff I don’t know about, but even I’ve noticed that you look at him quite intensively. So what’s up with that?”

Her lips parted to reveal surprise, but no words left her mouth.

Actually, nothing was on her mind over what she was supposed to do now that she had been called out so suddenly and without much notice.

“I-It’s… private?”

He stared at her for a little while, silence still reigning over while the lecture was still going and the young woman felt cracking a little at the pressure exerted by those golden eyes.

Part of her was curious beyond the state of fright she was going through, about what the young man was now going to say with her weak defence when-

“Okay,” Miles hummed quietly before staring back at Professor Bellman, his mood moving away from the discussion and leaving a shaken Hope to face the strange lack of other escalations from that point.

“W-What?” She almost squeaked, but her common sense long overruled her little moment of fear and she gave just a curt whisper.

“I mean, I understand that I shouldn’t be prying into private matters and… I think it wouldn’t be right to poke too much over this very topic,” The Cat Prime explained quietly, still glancing at the teacher. “But I just found it odd that you were staring at him so much.”

...He wasn’t suspecting anything from the attention she gave Shin?

No, there had to be at least something in his mind about that possibility, and yet he was trying to sound as if he wasn’t aware of the predicament she had been dealing with in the last few years.

“Why?”

There was no way she was just going to ignore this new development as it was.

With Miles now aware that something was afoot between her and the White Tiger Prime, the chances of having to give an explanation in some inopportune moment might end up becoming a dreadful reality.

He seemed to barely notice her quick question but he sighed.

“Feeling like we can both find an agreement about this circumstance,” The Cat Prime admitted with a small smile. “You see, I’ve seen something that might help you with… whatever you want to do with Shin.”

She took a long sigh and asked. “What do you want?”

His smile faltered a little and he groaned. “It’s nothing about me as… me,” He started to explain. “It’s more about helping someone that might help you. And that isn’t me.”

… “What are you even talking about?”

Nothing of what the fellow Prime was saying was making sense to her, but for some reason her worries seemed to dwindle away as he showed a sheepish look.

“You see, I’ve noticed earlier this morning that Shin is slowly getting warm with Frankie. In fact, I could say he looks up for advice from our mutual humane friend,” Miles finally answered multiple of her inner questions at once. “Given time he could get to know him on a deeper degree that you can since he is a… dude.”

Hope nodded as she knew about what he was mentioning about, but she gestured for him to continue.

“Well, you could ask him to help you with this situation,” The young man pressed with a sigh. “In return, you can help him find a girlfriend himself or something like that.”

Thinking well about his words, the Gazelle Prime took a moment to ponder over the information she had just been given and… there was some logic behind Miles’ plan.

She had long tried to rope someone else to give her some more details about Shin’s private life, but her closest confidant until now had been Shin’s younger sister and… she was just ten.

Very smart, but still too young to understand what kind of thoughts her brother might be having when he was alone and properly give her news about those.

And Frankie did seem like a trustworthy individual.

The little moments spent at lunch and dinner had brought out more of the personality she had just seen only glimpses about, and there was no denying that the only human of Prism Uni was someone that she could count on about this matter.

But while her acceptance of asking for help from Frankie was undisputed, the issue that truly weighed much on her head was why Miles had given her this kind of support.

“And you don’t want nothing in return?” The young woman pressed on with a careful tone, getting a snort from the Cat Prime.

“You see, if Frankie manages to get his first relationship going, I can ask him for help in getting a girlfriend myself,” He replied happily. “The issue of me directly helping you is that I have a pretty normal situation with Shin, nothing about trust just yet and… Frankie can help you as much as you can help him.”

“So you want us to cooperate to solve our respective love issues,” The girl started to summarize quietly. “Because you can then ask for advice from Frankie… without having to give him anything back.”

“That’s correct,” Miles said calmly, smiling widely at that correct statement.

…

“How exactly are you and Frankie friends anyway?”

He huffed. “Now, that’s kind of rude, you know?”

“You seem quite irritating when you talk to him, yet he just...” She trailed a little, unsure how to conclude the sentence.

“Doesn’t do anything about it?” Miles guessed with a hum. “You can say that it’s just… something between boys. Nothing that can be exactly explained in public.”

What kind of stuff was he referring to? Only for boys?

She shook her head, unwilling to pester him for more explanations as she was starting to already feel the beginning of a headache the more she continued to think about this convoluted trail of thoughts.

Instead of continuing the discussion, Hope’s attention returned back to the teacher and… the lesson that would be over in less than 30 minutes .

Surprise was painted on her face, but the girl merely accepted the fact that she had missed a quarter of the lecture for this conversation.

Not only now did she have something, or rather someone that she can ask help from, but she was also given an outlet away from the boring sensation grating her mind before engaging in that talk.

With a pleasant tune playing on her silent lips, the young woman resumed writing down some more notes while her mind started to formulate how she was supposed to share a private discussion with the human.

And while the general line of planning was simple, Hope found out pretty quickly that creating a proper diversion to share that discussion would take more than a few moments of quietness.

_**Thankfully, something will come up to her just in time.** _

* * *

**~Frankie’s POV~**

After the History lesson was over, I found myself dealing with quite the share of strange circumstances to ponder about.

Starting from the odd instance I was dragged into when Professor Aker started his lecture with my ancestor being the initial point, I was quite confused as to why the man had thought it correct to actually put me in that spotlight.

I didn’t mind too much, since the only reason why I was forced to stand out was because of my ancestry rather than something about me being a human being here at Prism Uni.

Was I a little shaken by the unexpected development? Just a little bit.

I wasn’t angry, not even irritated, but I was annoyed by how things had unfolded so suddenly and without a warning.

Shin had been keen to inquire how I was before overwhelming me with comments about the ‘Grim Maverick’, something that was as heartwarming as draining on my already-stressed brain.

It was just the first lecture of the day and I was already forced to endure these tiring circumstances, but I wasn’t giving up so easily, and without putting up a fight before truly collapsing.

Just as we both reached the nearby exit to leave the classroom, we were stopped by someone I had never seen before.

Tobias Wainwright was, in a correlation that many could see as enlightening as confusing, the lighter version of Miles.

Very friendly, but also an extrovert that knew how to strike a conversation with someone he didn’t even know on a normal basis.

His mannerism was on spot, maintaining a degree of politeness and easygoing that made him quite the fascinating fellow to get to know.

The Lion Prime was part of Prism Uni’s Football team, and that was quite the important role considering how impactful the sport was in the continent.

It had been quite surprising when I first heard about this detail, about how well-based football was in this Kingdom- _actually Queendom_ from what Shin had told me before the beginning of the lesson.

I was mindful to not give out my trust to this still-unknown individual as I had my fair share of those that looked to be trustworthy, but turned out to be just some devious pricks waiting to strike at the opportune moment.

Yet my early carefulness mollified the moment Toby decided to keep his interaction limited, merely inquiring how I was feeling after that little close encounter with the fright-inducing teacher, and if I was getting accustomed well with the campus life here at Prism.

The conversation only lasted for a couple of minutes, as the Lion Prime mentioned having some unforgiving schedule that needed to keep up with before bidding us a pleasant day and delving away into the mass of Primes crowding the hall we had been standing by.

Nodding at each other, Shin and I decided to make our way to the little spot we were meant to regroup together with Miles and Hope.

With the schedules having our group split in various two-members combinations, it was easy to meet-up somewhere so that we could best coordinate our presence in the various classrooms with people we knew about.

Of course, this situation was only meant to last until we got to know more people from the various classes, thus making our lives easier to go by without having to make some crazy runs left and right just to not be late for the other classes.

I yawned a little, but Shin decided to hum a little about the situation.

“It is quite overwhelming,” The White Tiger admitted nervously. “I didn’t expect the pace to be this draining, at least not to this level.”

I blinked at that and nodded. “Uni is a big step beyond High School, Shin,” I replied kindly. “And while you might have the requirements to fit well with the various classes, you still will need some time to grow accustomed to the rhythms with your body.”

He returned the nod, but his green eyes strayed back to the direction we were walking by.

“Do you think Hope and Miles are doing well with Math?” He inquired quietly. “I know Hope is good at it but-”

“It’s just the first lesson, and Miles will probably pay it little concern, but at least give it some attention for the sake of not failing the subject so early on,” I answered slowly. “He knows well-enough that screwing around too much will end up with him hauled out of the school.”

The Prime opened his mouth, but then he closed it in quiet contemplation about my comment.

Finally, he spoke up. “But why wouldn’t he pay attention? It might be boring for some but… this is Uni.”

I sighed at Shin’s little confusion over the mind of the Cat Prime but I just shrugged.

“Miles is lazy,” I hummed quietly. “Differently from many, he has yet to learn that duty should come before fun. But he will learn it, trust me on that.”

The blond nodded, giving no continuation to this last topic as we finally ended up right to the meet-up place and… Hope and Miles were already there.

The two other Primes slowly started to approach us and soon some words were shared.

“Frankie, it was horrible!” Miles whined, almost falling into my arms but I pushed him to stand up. “Math is boring!

“Of course it is, but that doesn’t mean you have to behave like a child about it,” I huffed back at him, then I glanced at Hope. “Did he create any issues?”

The girl’s green eyes widened just a fraction, but she swiftly shook her head. “Not truly, no.”

I sighed in relief at that, while Shin merely pressed on with a polite tone.

“Was the lecture difficult?”

“Actually, it was pretty easy to listen to,” The Gazelle Prime admitted with a smile. “Professor Bellman is quite exhaustive with his words and I think it will do alright on my own.”

The blond nodded happily. “That’s good to hear.”

“We will be able to see it by ourselves since Math is the last lesson for today for us, Shin,” I pointed out with a quiet hum. “But now we should focus on… Prime Literature?”

I paused for a moment as I finished reading the title of the subject, my brain losing a couple of instants to try and connect what kind of subject it truly was.

Maybe it had different topics compared to English Literature? Or perhaps it was the same but with a different name?

My confusion was drowned away as I saw Hope walking closer to me and… grasp at my left arm.

“We share the same subject,” She said swiftly, starting to pull at my limb. “And it’s best to get going already.”

I was surprised at her sudden interest in reaching the class so early on, but before I could even try to have her calm down a little, her pulling got stronger and more difficult to hold up with.

Getting dragged around by someone that was shorter than me and fairly small with her figure, I find myself shocked that I was being literally yanked around across Prism Uni by Hope.

I had just the chance of glancing at the two other Primes, with Shin looking incredibly surprised by this development while Miles…

He was smiling, smugly so, while he waved at us leaving and I knew that there was something wrong about it all.

My nervousness increased as I noticed that we were taking some turns that actually strayed away from the correct path.

It was after five minutes of walking that I was finally granted leniency in the form of her letting go of my arm, and taking a few steps away from me.

I took this little pause to recollect myself and my thoughts, my mind quickly picking up the fact that we were in some deserted corridor of the building and… she was looking at me with a blank look.

My panic intensified even more at that stare, and I gulped nervously.

“Uh… is- is there anything wrong?”

Hope blinked twice, but then sighed and nodded. “I want your help for something important.”

...What?

“Something important?” I parroted thoughtlessly, trying to make sense of what was going on.

“Look, Frankie, I don’t want to sound too creepy or anything,” The girl continued with a now-nervous tone. “But I want you to promise me that you are not going to tell anyone about this. It’s really important.”

I frowned and blinked at her words as I felt drawn more and more in this neverending confusion.

“Is it… anything worth of concern? Like anything dangerous or-”

“Nothing dangerous, no,” She assured me with a quick nod. “But it’s important… to me. I’m asking you as a friend and, while we haven't known each other for long, I think I can trust you about this… in exchange for help.”

“Well, if it’s something this important and private to you, I don’t see why I should divulge it to someone else,” I admitted with a kind smile. “I suppose it’s pretty big if you got all this secrecy going.”

The Gazelle Prime sighed and nodded. “Thank you for that and… I guess I can already tell you that-”

Her eyes looked so intensively into mine and I felt a paralyzed by that strong, unexpected stare.

“I love Shin.”

Three words were more than enough to twist something deeply in my chest in that strangely-intense moment, and I blinked.

“You love… Shin?”

She nodded and I blinked again, this time pondering about the situation as a whole.

I was particularly shocked, yet somewhat still confused and also a bit disappointed as I had expected something else, but I thought back to the day before when Hope had felt nervous about something.

And it hadn’t been something about the school as I had expected. Not at all.

“And… you want my help for… set him up for you?” My breath felt a little bit itchy, but Hope seemed to ignore that particularly strange instance I was going through, giving me another nod.

“I know it sounds bad that two friends should conspire about this,” The young woman started to explain. “But I’ve been trying for years to get something accomplished and… I’m still stuck as his best friend.”

Weren’t they like childhood friends? Wasn’t that quite the lengthy friendzone? 

Suppressing the surprise, I managed to give her a confused frown.

“And you are asking me for help… why?” I inquired quietly, knowing exactly that she had no reason for picking me as the best candidate for such a predicament-

Oh…

I thought about that smug smile present on a certain Cat Prime’s face, about the way he was waving at us like a moron, and my mind picked up quickly on those little clues now that there was a foundation where to settle these pieces.

“It was Miles,” I replied to myself and she showed some surprise at my tone. “He had this giddy grin on his face, I bet he said something about-”

“Shin trusts you,” Hope interjected calmly. “And I’m not asking you to deceive him or anything, but that you help me with this.”

“I would still have to go behind his back to pass you information,” I pointed out firmly. “And I think Shin is insecure enough as he is right now to be dealing with this kind of stuff.”

“It wouldn’t be that ba- wait, what are you talking about?” She stopped herself in her charge as the last words of my reply reached deep in her mind. “Insecure? Shin?”

“While he might appear polite, he is still facing the reality of keeping up with people older than him,” I said with a strong voice. “He is expecting some bullying already, and he thought that Miles disliked him about a cheeky comment he made early this morning.”

Her jaws dropped a little, but the young woman seemed to take a more serious stance.

“Do you think he needs some space then?” The Prime asked with some worry.

“I think he just needs time to adjust to the pace and the new faces around,” I assured her with a sigh. “Nothing too concerning, but I was thinking of organizing a study group after school hours in our dorm. You are free to join if you want.”

Hope smiled at the proposal and nodded. “I will be there and…” Her lips closed momentarily as she seemed to be thinking about something.

“Do you accept or not giving me help about-”

“Two conditions,” I said, biting down a groan at her pressing. “Without these confirmed, I will outright refuse any help, but I will not tell him anything about your feelings.”

Her eyes narrowed in a mix of surprise and suspicion. “And those are?”

I held my index finger up. “We’re not going to pull the fake couple act… ever,” I muttered with a resolute tone. “It never works, and it tends to create awkward situations to face without a plan.”

With that first point, her face eased a little bit and nodded, sporting a brief sheepish look.

“That is quite the horrible case, yes.”

I nodded back and continued. “If he feels uncomfortable about these advances and I tell you to back off, you do that,” I hummed quietly. “If you ‘love’ him, you will understand that you can’t just burn the path ahead of you for-”

“I-I know what love is, and I will not do anything that sounds too creepy,” She admitted with a light stutter, but then stopped at my amused snort. “And what’s that about?”

“Do you know where you took us?” I replied with a flat tone, gesturing over the deserted corridor and… her green eyes scanned around, widening a little more as she concluded her little analysis.

“I-I wasn’t exactly looking for the creepiest hallway,” Hope admitted with a huff. “Plus, why would I of all people sound like a creepy individual?”

“‘I have something important to tell you’ and ‘You need to promise me that you will never tell this to anyone else’ kind of did the trick there-”

She gave a light-punch to my arm and I recoiled in mock-pain. “Ouch, you know that’s true.”

“A little,” The Gazelle Prime admitted. “And I guess I accept your little conditions.”

I nodded at her with a thankful glance and…

…

Wasn’t I forgetting something important?

…

Oh right, there was the little issue about-

I tensed up in sudden panic, Hope looking surprised at my mood swing as I got hold of her hand and started to walk away from that corridor.

“H-Hey, what are you-”

“We lost too much time talking,” I interjected firmly, my mind shifting all of my attention right on remembering the correct track to follow for the classroom. “We risk being late for the second lecture and-”

“That would be bad,” She jumped in while she kicked up her own pace to match up with my speed. “Really bad.”

I nodded and we both rushed away from that deserted hallway and back to the more crowded areas of the building.

_**Thank God, neither Hope, nor the rest of the students noticed that we had been holding each other’s hands until we were in front of the classroom’s door.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betareader: Ant0nius (FFN)
> 
> AN
> 
> The first arc for the story has wrapped up. The bets have been placed and now the world shall see the victory of this incredible duo!
> 
> 'Or maybe a curious defeat. One that would end up in quite… the fun way.'
> 
> That would be too cliché tho-
> 
> 'Didn’t you ask Naerie about some of her thoughts about Shin?'
> 
> F-For scientific purposes! An author should never ignore the endless routes to take, and eventually take the road that would bring up the best emotions out!
> 
> 'You just want it to not sound too much like an Anime. I’ve seen what kind of ‘early-early’ draft you had prepared~.'
> 
> Nonsense! I never wrote it down and- wait, how do you even about it?
> 
> 'Se-cret~! But let us move on to the next adventure… shall we?'


	5. Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (1)

**Chapter 5: Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (1)**

A brand new day started here at Prism Uni, yet my mind still hasn’t digested what has been happening over the past couple of days. 

The first day had concluded well enough for everyone and we were quick to enjoy some study sessions together. With Hope joining us, the session managed to maintain at least some seriousness as we struggled with some of the early homework from the first subjects.

It was nice that some entertaining banter had started by the time we were close to conclude our tasks, and they were just enough to get everyone’s spirits high to finally bring an end to that day without distracting us too much from the main troubles.

The pleasant first day was then followed by the second day here, which mostly followed the same pattern as the first one considering that it had relatively new subjects to deal with and that meant more ‘first lectures’ to face about.

Prime Literature ended up being just a study over the mix of Old-Earth/Old-Prism poetry and tales that were salvaged by the destruction of both original planets. It was quite the relief considering I had expected to find myself dreading some of the topics about the modern-contemporary style of present’s literature.

That, I knew, wouldn’t have worked well with how difficult it felt to try and understand on my own.

The teacher of this subject, Professor Dorion, gave a well-summarized explanation about highlighting correlations between the two different lines of thought during her first lecture, despite the fact that there were plenty of noticeable differences between the two cultures back then.

The Polar Bear Prime had shoulder-length, dark-gray hair and a pair of attentive, but relaxed blue eyes. She was still in her mid-thirties, but her personality made her seem much more mature and wiser than her real age.

The woman also stood pretty tall, always sporting a confident but humble approach with her teaching despite her celebrity status being known to anyone that had been going to high school since a few years ago.

Having gained quite the impressive achievements with her degrees and renowned examples of literature masterworks, the bespectacled woman had respectfully accepted the offer to teach the subject here in Prism Uni just five years ago.

She had long stopped writing, mentioning right at the beginning of the lesson that she had long found the work as a teacher here in this illustrious establishment far more entertaining than her past ‘gloomy career’.

Quite the sudden development considering how excellent her books were. (A sudden development counts as 5 years old? Kinda questioning the logic here, but it’s your story to tell) Most of those were focused on slice-of-lives kind of comedies, drawing an authentic depiction of the difficulties of lives for young men and women while also dropping some amusing content here and there in her works.

Still, her decision seemed to have been correct as she ended up becoming my favorite teacher, with Professor Bellman coming up second place in terms of genuine interest in their careers and capacity to teach people.

What rendered this experience even better was the way Hope had helped during the notes-writing.

There was quite the synergy in that situation, the teamwork reaching a degree of intensity that just rendered the lesson quite the easy thing to understand without ending up bored.

But while Maths and Literature ended up becoming subjects that the dark-haired girl was capable of keeping up with, the same couldn’t be said for History of the Old Worlds.

Either because the unnerving nature of Professor Aken or for the complexity of his explanations, Hope had some trouble in keeping up with the notes and brought this up when the study session back on the first day had started.

Thinking back at the discussion I had with the girl and how it now saw the two of us allied for a ‘common goal’, I was quick to slowly push Shin to consider tutoring his childhood friend about the subject.

The results ended up being a mixed success. The blond was receptive of the idea, finding a positive reply even from Hope, but he was quick to try and rope me in too as I ‘was a little more experienced with the subject’ compared to how he was about it.

Oddly enough, it was a logical alteration as the young man had given no little praise over my understanding of History.

Miles turned out to be a saving grace as he quickly jumped in with the fact that I was already busy with the fact I had to tutor him until he got a better handling of the subject itself.

Which was… a lie, especially with how well the Cat Prime had understood the topics of the first lesson compared to Hope.

Shin was saddened by the fact I couldn’t give him much support, but still accepted the idea that I would have offered help with the tutoring if he needed any.

Hope was elated by this development, but she was mindful enough to not try anything more out of this little victory she had gained thanks to this minor effort from my part.

She did thank me about it, yet her genuinely satisfied words left me feeling perplexed and somewhat confused. There was no real reason to feel like it, yet the unknown feeling was there.

Nothing too concerning. I quickly shrugged it off from my shoulders as I went on to deal with the second day.

Things were pretty much the same as the one before, but the lessons were new ones and… I admit I wouldn’t have expected Chemistry to be this much difficult.

Shin had to help me around more than I felt well with and, despite the good-will of the young Prime, I still felt disappointed over the fact I hadn’t been careful for so many issues at once.

Noting down on my personal bucket list to do some extra homework to fix this problematic discovery, asking the teacher of this class for some assistance about the matter.

Professor Bayer, an old, bald Lizard Prime that was mostly known for his strict but incredibly helpful mannerism while teaching, was more than happy to accommodate me with a few advised parts of the textbook I needed to study from to bolster up my current situation with his subject.

With this first subject dealt with, we quickly moved to the next one.

Miles was quite eager about this one in particular, bringing up more words of wisdom over the importance of learning… Spanish.

Having grown up in California, I was pretty much adept in speaking the language proficiently and soon the entire class turned out to be a breeze for me.

This first lesson was a brief summary of the simple rules of grammar, and I was careful to help out Miles as the Cat Prime seemed to be surprisingly focused by the ‘words’ leaving Professor de Diego’s lips.

The teacher was a Leopard Prime with a voluptuous form, her long red hair reached down by her lower waist and chocolate-brown eyes.

She was stunning and fairly capable with her job, there was nothing wrong to say about the way the young woman was conducting her lecture… except the dress she was currently wearing did an amazing job by  _**not hiding her cleavage.** _

I was careful to ignore glancing down for as long as I could manage, due to the fact that I still had to pay attention to her lectures, but this thought wasn’t shared much by the rest of the male students in the classroom.

Miles himself was mesmerized by the sight, but much to my surprise, the Cat Prime managed to still understand everything that the Spanish teacher was saying, and his notes proved to be substantial compared to previous predicaments of the same kind.

The lecture itself was decent and, once we were done with this too, we ended up meeting up with the rest of the group.

Shin and Hope seemed to have been fine with Chemistry, and once we were all together at the usual meeting spot, we proceeded to check on the final subject for the day.

This one was quite special compared to the others since it was one of the optional ones that students had to decide before the beginning of the school year.

“ I got… ‘Photography’,” Miles announced happily.

“ Same,” Hope hummed quietly, her eyes briefly flashing curiosity while glancing at Shin.

“ ...I have ‘Old Earth Literature’,” The blond admitted, deflating a little as he glanced at his schedule. “I found it like an interesting subject to expand with Prime Literature.”

I gave him a nod, my hand patting at his shoulder. “That’s good-thinking,” I commented calmly, a small smile on my face. “I actually picked-”

“ Something about sports?” The Cat Prime jumped in with an amused tone, to which I frowned.

“ Actually… it’s something of a little hobby of mine,” I hummed with a hint of embarrassment at their collective staring. “I picked ‘Cooking’.”

…

“ Wait, really?” Miles pressed on with a surprised tone. “I thought you would have-”

“ Picked something a little more practical?” I interjected with a sigh. “I just found ‘Cooking’ a little more interesting considering that I have some experience about it, and a certification to attest my current level wouldn’t be bad to have in case of any Plan Bs about working.”

“ So it’s more to cover your bases rather than expanding what knowledge you currently have, right?” Shin inquired with some fascination and I nodded back at him.

“ That, and I might actually get to learn some more recipes out of the lectures,” I quietly replied . “I’ve heard that the teacher for the course is actually some good chef that had retired, so hoping to get some extra knowledge about cooking wouldn’t be that impossible.”

Ultimately, we had to split up to reach our respective classrooms before the end of the half-day break, and I ended up reaching the room quite early on considering how close it was to the section of the building I had started to walk from.

Some students had already arrived and put on the standard aprons available by the entrance, so I quickly took one and began putting it on myself.

It was a simple white apron with Prism Uni’s logo on it, nothing truly special about it that I could see other than that detail.

I took my stand by one of the free counters, waiting patiently as the rest of the students started to pour in and… finally the teacher arrived.

Professor Cracco was something of an oddity among the various teachers at Prism Uni, as the man had been one of the few ones to make a reputation as a good instructor despite the fairly limited number of students frequenting his class.

The gray-furred Wolf Prime entered with a small smile on his face, his stature being the first thing that caught my attention as I was surprised by his relative shortness compared to other Primes.

With charcoal eyes glinting at any chances of spotting any potential among his students, the man gave a glance around by his desk before beginning his first lesson.

“ Good morning to everyone, and welcome to your first lecture about the sublime art of cousine, cucina, or like everyone knows it best, ‘Cooking’,” The man started to talk, his voice displaying a hint of fascination over the presence of quite a large amount of people in the room. “And I see that this year we have a big batch of new people joining us in these lessons.”

There was a brief pause, then the Wolf Prime sighed and continued to speak.

“ Before we actually begin, I have to give you all a fair warning about this class,” Professor Cracco explained with a serious tone. “While many of you have joined this course with the hopes of getting an easy grade, then I’m sorry to say this, but this will not be the case. This is a serious class and I will administer proper retaliations for any of those that defy the main rules for this classroom. You’ve been warned.”

Another pause, this time the room got quieter than before as the man looked around and… then eased down with his small smile.

“ Good, then I guess we can start to form groups and-”

Before the short Prime could have concluded his sentence, loud footsteps interrupted him as someone entered the room in a hurry.

The collective attention was directed at the newcomer, my eyes narrowing blankly at the tall young woman that had emerged from the door.

She was a Tiger Prime with dark-purple hair. Her eyes were a bright green and her face seemed to be showing a mix of embarrassment at the lateness and some tiredness at the little run she had to make to get there in time.

The girl bowed her head a little. “Sorry for being late, Professor.”

Blinking at the state the newly-arrived student was, the teacher couldn’t help but sigh and shake his head at the circumstances.

“ I suppose you were late because of the cheerleaders’ practice, Ms. Biggs,” The short Prime pointed out and then nodded. “Since you managed to reach the classroom in time, I will not admonish you more than just warning you that I will give you detention if you end up being late for the next lessons.”

The Tiger Prime nodded with a hint of relief at his words, quickly picking one of the available aprons before wandering to the side of the room in the attempt to find any free seat to take.

It took her a couple of seconds, but finally she ended up stopping right by the counter I was occupying alone and… she paused.

Her eyes were now displaying a curious flurry of inner emotions from surprise at seeing that I, the only human at school, had a free seat beside mine that she could take, to hesitation about actually doing that.

I stared back, feeling a little uneasy about having to eventually address the fact she looked fairly tall.

Not that it was a bad thing, just that I was surprised to meet a fellow student taller than any I had met until now.

She blinked, possibly waiting for me to say anything, and I was sure that if I had kept quiet the girl would have taken it as a sign of negation and… I sighed inwardly.

I merely glanced at her and gave her a solid nod. No verbal input, no awkward interactions as first contact.

Only a mere gesture of acceptance.

Her posture finally eased up at my ‘reply’, and she eagerly took a seat beside mine. From there the difference of heights was more pronounced, but I was still mindful enough to keep my mouth shut about it.

It wasn’t just… proper. Or better, respectful towards the normal individual sitting right near to where I was.

I distracted myself by looking back at Professor Cracco, my eyes picking up quickly how the man was keeping himself busy by helping some of the students over the divisions in various 2-people teams working for each counter and… I realized that we were going to be ignored considering how we were already two individuals by a single counter.

I was swiftly brought back to the close reality of the situation and I thought how to best introduce myself to the young woman without messing things up.

To be fair, I was slightly nervous of blurting out anything bad with a lengthy presentation, thus I settled for a curt and informal one.

My lips parted and… I spoke.

“ I’m Frankie-” “I’m Traci-”

Stopping at the same time, we stare at each other with mutual surprise at the shared introduction.

“ Jinx-” “Jinx-”

More surprise at the repetition of the same word at the same time, our eyes widening in a mirthful display of shock at the scene unfolding.

Finally… we both cracked in smiles, giggles, chuckles. Her arms reached down to her sides at the odd predicament but soon enough we both started to calm down before attracting too much attention.

“ N-Nice to meet you, Traci,” I hummed happily as I got a grasp over myself.

“ S-Same, Frankie,” The Tiger Prime replied with the same degree of amusement as mine.

There was a moment of pause, just some time to get through the last bits of entertainment we had displayed to one another.

“ Still, I hope that it’s not much of a problem if I sit here,” The girl continued, her tone deflating into a hint of sadness. “I know that I might seem a little...”

I blinked at that sudden swift of mood and I shrugged. “Fun?”

She frowned. “No, I mean that I’m-”

“ Nice?”

A huff leaving her lips, Traci stared me down with a mix of annoyance and renewed amusement.

“ I mean that I’m big.”

“ And?” I poked quietly back, getting a surprised glint off from her green orbs.

“ You’re kidding, right?” She asked, seemingly caught off-guard by my disinterest over her point. “I mean, I understand being funny and all but-”

“ I don’t have any trouble with that, Traci,” I interjected calmly and politely, making her pause with her words. “I understand the concern, I’m glad for it, but I’m really fine with it.”

Another round of silence, the Prime shuffled on her seat a little bit before letting out a nod.

“ Understood, Frankie,” She said quietly, but devoid of that deflated voice she had up until now. “By the way, how good are you with… this?”

Traci gestured over the counter, pointing generally at the instruments left there that were meant to be used during the lessons.

“ I did cook a lot back home,” I admitted with a nod. “I think I know how to use pretty much everything here.”

The positive response got her to lighten up with some more hopes… for some reasons.

“ Really? Is something about your parents maybe owning some restaurant or you decided to make it a hobby?”

Her queries were met with a wider smile.

“ I guess it’s a hobby,” I answered, thinking that it did start like one. “It’s something that I’ve picked up after a period of being forced to stay back at home for a while after I got a little negligible injury-”

“ If it was ‘negligible’, you wouldn’t have been ‘forced to stay at home’,” The Prime chided mirthfully, getting me to let out a faux-annoyed groan.

“ I suppose it was a little serious… but I still recovered- and the main topic is that I just ended up picking up the interest of cooking from helping around mom with the kitchen,” I huffed at the poking, causing the girl to giggle at my reaction.

“ Oh, I did start by helping around my mom too,” The young woman muttered with a hint of giddiness. “In fact, it was mom that pushed me into the hobby and… I just love it.”

I nodded back at her, my smile still up, but before I could have continued, Professor Cracco’s voice disrupted the discussion as he began speaking back to his desk.

“ Now that the groups have been made, I guess it’s time to move on to the real lesson of today,” The teacher announced with a solid nod. “And our first lesson will be focused on… your best dish.”

…

What?

Chaos rose from that unexpected development, but the Professor was quick to bring silence back to the room.

“ Since for many this will be the first lesson at Prism Uni, I wish to know more about the personality of each of you by your favorite recipes,” The man continued to explain. “I know that many are somewhat adept in preparing food, and for those that aren’t much versed in preparing without their own recipes, I can offer some cooking books for the lecture so that you may prepare your favorite dish ever. This is just a ‘presentation test’, so I will not grade anyone on this occasion.”

That sounded odd… but still fair considering that there was not going to be any grading for those that weren’t much capable of cooking so early on.

I was sure, at least from the nervous looks coming from other students, that some just didn’t seem to be prepared to do anything without having some written instructions to follow.

I glanced at Traci with a quizzical look. “So, any plans with what we could make?”

She seemed to ponder about it for a while, shaking her head with some doubts.

“ I would like to do pancakes,” The girl admitted bluntly, before shaking her head. “But next we have lunch, and that would mess up our chances of eating the delicious things offered by the cafeteria.”

I nodded at her logic, understanding that it was up to me to find the proper kind of dish that we could prepare… without ruining our appetites.

There were a couple of interesting ideas that hovered within my head over what we could do now and… I blinked in realization.

Why not settle for something as simple as pancakes… that are not just regular pancakes?

“ But perhaps we can do pancakes,” I hummed with a devious smile, getting a frown from the girl about my suggestion.

“ I just said it wouldn’t be good if-”

“ I wasn’t talking about sweet pancakes,” I interjected with an amused tone, making Traci’s confusion increase until I finally told her what I was planning to do.

Her eyes widened in a mix of surprise and realization, but then she gave a quick nod at the plan I had prepared and soon we were allowed to pick all the ingredients needed for this lesson from the large fridge attached to the room.

I was the one going to pick the stuff we needed, the Tiger Prime pointing out how many times she had gotten stuck by the entrance because of her size. Quite tragic to hear, but I was still determined to make quite the good impression with a simple dish.

I picked a couple of eggs, a carton of milk, some cheese, and a small cup filled with yeast before returning to the counter and starting the process of preparing the food we were planning to serve.

Despite her noticeable clumsiness while moving around for the various tasks, I was surprised when I found in Traci someone that could quickly and perfectly complete any activity she would have to do in our split work.

Much to my surprise, the entire preparation turned out to finish faster than I had initially planned it to be as we finished about thirty minutes later.

Still, I couldn’t help but stare in minor awe at the little tower of salty pancakes that we were able to create with what the limited ingredients allowed us to make.

We took a couple of seconds to sit back to our chairs and admire our results as we knew that we did make quite the perfect dish for the current period of time.

“ Do you think it is delicious?” Traci asked distractedly as she continued to stare at the tower. “It looks and smells good, but what if the taste is off?”

I shrugged. “I’m sure it’s fine,” I admitted with conviction. “And if not, then we tried our best at it. In the end, that’s what truly matters.”

She nodded, smiling a little at my words. “You know, I never had a stable partner in this class.”

“ Really?” I inquired curtly, partly surprised by this discovery.

“ Since I have cheerleaders’ practices keeping me busy most of my free time, I generally can’t connect well with other guys and girls,” The Tiger Prime explained with a nod. “That and I look fairly intimidating.”

I blinked. “Is that about your height?” I asked carefully. “I mean, I can see that being a bit of an issue, but after talking with you, I know you are a nice girl.”

Her lips twitched at that, a snort soon following after at my praise.

“ Flatterer much, Frankie?” The young woman retorted with a mirthful voice. “I bet you had girls swooning at you back at high school.”

I flinched a little at that eager retaliation, feeling a little uneasy at thinking back at the attention I had back at that stage of my life.

I had some girls trying to get my interest but… it never worked out well. Always trying to aim at the sport-guy and-

And that’s why I just decided to stop trying my chances at surfing.

Not only did I have the pressure to keep up the pace with some of my former instructors, but I was also irritated by the spotlight I would end up being put on by some of the girls.

I lost a couple of friends just because of that stupid attention.

Still, it wasn’t a reason to create issues to Traci’s excited inquiries, at least not with her just trying to be friendly with her.

“ You could say that...” I replied tensely and, instead of being pressed on with the matter, the girl actually ended up letting out a sigh.

“ Was it really that horrible?” The girl asked with a calm voice. “I mean, I get quite the attention from guys all the time I’m cheerleading, and I can see being quite annoying sometimes.”

I blinked, my eyes showing some brief worry. “I hope nothing bad-”

“ Oh no, it’s all positive and-” Her happy trail briefly interrupted as she noticed my look. “Wait, you thought that… they were bullying me?”

I tensed up a little. “Kinda?”

…

Her lips twitched happily at my honest reply. “That’s nice to know. You know- having someone else worried about me and-” The Prime stopped once again, this time to sigh. “You know, you should call me ‘Tiggs’ from now on.”

...That was quite sudden and… odd? I was confused by this last request, enough to show some legitimate surprise at that detail on my face.

“ Why?”

Her smile widened. “You know, friends call me that.”

I blinked, and my brain took a little while to connect the dots about that nickname.

“ Well… then it’s nice to be your friend, Tiggs.”

She giggled, but before she could reply to this, we stopped as Professor Cracco was finally inspecting our table.

“ I see that you two have made quite the team,” The man commented jovially before he settled his stare upon the tower of pancakes, taking a brief sniff before nodding to himself. “And you have also prepared something light by taking under consideration the fact that lunch is going to start quite soon after the lesson.”

He took one of the untouched forks by our counter and took a quick bite from the pancake on top, munching at it for a while.

“ The salt is just enough to bring out the main element of this plate and… I think there is just a little issue with adding too much cheese to the pancakes,” The teacher commented with a happy smile. “Truly a fascinating idea. Continue like this and you will receive top marks for this class in no time.”

…

“ T-Thank you for the kind words, Profe-”

“ It’s the truth, Mr. Parker,” The Wolf Prime interrupted calmly. “You did a good job. Bask a little in this achievement and… actually, I think I will take these with myself,” The teacher hummed as he carefully took the plate up from the table. “I just got a good idea and… you will see very soon.”

While the last words left me confused about what he was referring to, I was still too excited by this positive praise that I failed to compute any follow-up question about it.

The short Prime walked away from the table with the Pancakes after nodding happily at the two of us, my surprise reaching its zenith when I saw Tiggs giddily vibrating in her seat.

“ W-We did it!” She commented eagerly, her smile shining quite brightly while some giggles were being barely contained behind her lips, causing me to snort at the adorable sight.

“ Yep, we did it,” I said before letting out a chuckle at the happy display from the Tiger Prime.

To think that I would end up making quite the amusing friend out of that first lecture about Cooking, and one as unique as Tiggs.

When the lesson came to an end, we eventually had to split up to regroup with our respective friends, but not before leaving each other some contacts in case we needed to talk with each other over this subject.

I thought it would take a couple of days to see her again, or perhaps it would have happened by chance if I ended up wandering around where the cheerleaders were practicing… but surprisingly enough I was proven wrong when we both had to go to the cafeteria.

In that sea of students that should’ve rendered the possibilities to find ourselves in that humongous place close to zero, we actually ended up finding each other because of a unique event unfolding right by the area where food was displayed for students to pick to eat.

Among the various, different plates, there was one that stood out to the others for two small pieces of papers set right in front of it.

There was no doubt about it, the tower of salty pancakes was there and… the teacher had indeed gotten the good idea as he had left written in those papers the names of those that had prepared them.

**Mr. Frankie Parker – 1st Year**

**Ms. Traci Biggs – 2nd Year**

Primes of all kinds were flocking at the tower, almost demolishing it with their intrigued attention at picking moderate pieces out of it and soon… it was gone.

From this sudden development that saw me approach the zone together with Miles, Shin, and Hope, I soon found myself tackled up and pulled in a hug by a certain giddy Tiger Prime… followed by a confused Fox Prime with red-and-yellow hair.

_**But the only thing I could think about is… God, Tiggs is madly strong with her hugs!** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN
> 
> Second Sections begin with quite the fluffy chapter!
> 
> 'But I wonder if it will be as fluffy as Hope’s and Vixy’s tails.'
> 
> Perhaps and-
> 
> 'I would also like to know how long will it take for little Tiggs to turn our lovely protagonist in a Cuddle Buddy-'
> 
> Wait-
> 
> 'And that is ignoring the fact that Vixy will surely-'
> 
> C-Can you not drown me in-
> 
> 'But I suppose we will learn more in the next episode~!'
> 
> ...Are you angry at me?
> 
> 'Perhaps~!'
> 
> ...Why?
> 
> 'You will learn more quite soon~!'
> 
> ...I think I’m in danger.


	6. Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (2)

**Chapter 6: Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (2)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

**~Vixy’s POV~**

She couldn’t believe it, no matter how tangible the situation was before her eyes.

There was no doubt about it. This was true, it wasn’t an illusion, and it wasn’t something she just imagined up on the spot.

And yet, Vixy just couldn’t believe how her luck had given her quite the good situation in order to finally make some concrete steps forward, as one of the most popular girls in Prism Uni.

It would all be done by her hand. No longer affected by the early boost offered by her parentage. It would all be done by her own genuine interest and effort.

Tiggs had been honest about her positive approach towards the human, with not only the dish they had allegedly prepared together having dominated the interest of the entire cafeteria for about two hours being good proof of it, but by Frankie’s own admission when they ended up sharing the same table.

Odd just didn’t fit how surprising this escalation went, especially with how ‘normal’ it actually was.

She didn’t feel under pressure, but noticed that a few curious students stared at the scene from afar. Surprisingly, no strange rumors about the situation were brought up. 

The logic behind this encounter was simple, thus disproving any follow-up theory connecting her presence to the table.

The real reason she hadn’t received any backlash yet was due to the mutual state of friendliness shared by both the Tiger Prime and the Human.

Traci was… ecstatic. There were only a handful of things that could actually get the big girl to react this giddily. This was unusual, considering that it was someone relatively new to both that had gained this much interest from the smiling tigress.

Frankie was outright amused by the affectionate approach directed at him, returning the kindness with his own, except maybe offering some moderation considering the playfulness displayed by the girl keeping at his side.

Sitting on the other chair beside Tiggs’, Vixy couldn’t help but be partially mesmerized by the scene as the two interacted quite amicably to each other.

It just sounded so genuinely good, and that made her both happy for her friend but also confusedly suspicious over the human’s lack of further motivations.

Not that she had any reason to doubt Frankie just yet, but for the big girl to become friends with the human so suddenly and without much planning behind it just felt…

Incredibly convenient. Far too convenient for her tastes.

Still, the Fox Prime had no reason to be annoyed by this development, and so she merely sported some acceptance over the matter.

Her attention was also directed at the rest of the occupants of the table, with her green eyes carefully trying to keep some discretion while studying the other three Primes sitting there.

Hope Ravenhurst and Shin Aryoko both looked quite surprised themselves over the display of affection between the two, perhaps impressed by the sudden friend Frankie had gained without much notice on their parts.

The former was also showing some recognition while looking at the Fox Prime. There was no doubt that it was mostly the closeness in appearance between Vixy and her mother.

It wouldn’t be much of a surprise for her to discover that the Gazelle Prime had heard about Carmesi from both her parents, as it was hinted plenty of times that Kayin Ravenhurst had been at odds multiple times with the Crest of Fire.

‘ An old rivalry.’

That’s how Vixy’s father had regarded this very predicament, and the Fox Prime had no reason to see it otherwise.

Her mother’s behavior over the topic matched well with this curt answer, as the waves of fiery anger and irritation coming from the mere mentioning of the Ravenhurst family were honest and impossible to persuade otherwise.

The Aryoko family had also been a subject of annoyance from Carmesi, but they never reached the same degree of reaction that the woman would dispense towards the Love Clan.

Shin either didn’t care or know about any bad blood between the Crest of Light and the Crest of Fire. Thus, there was no reason to think warily about him.

Miles Lionheart was fairly simple to study, as there wasn’t much to say about him.

He was a normal student, something that matched well with the chemistry created between himself and the human.

Both struggled at the same level, without having to prove anything to anyone and… the only thing that really made a difference in terms of importance was Frankie’s _lack of fur._

Very careful, but also flirty, maybe there was also a difference between personalities, one that just would get overlooked from afar.

While Frankie was friendly and didn't try to flirt with everything that was female, moving and incredibly gorgeous, but he was also flawed in social situations which helped a lot in creating a bond with Traci.

Both were outcasts for their own reasons, and so they found common ground where to share a good friendship.

The Cat Prime was the ‘opposite but also not’ to the human.

While he was mindful to never exaggerate with his cheesy compliments, Miles didn’t seem to be the kind of person that would just shy away from quipping and flirt whenever possible.

Very endearing… up to the point where the cheesiness came to play.

Despite this little weakness, there was a pleasant note coming from his peaceful personality that just seemed to make him an interesting individual to have around.

Nothing special, but far from just ordinary.

The discussion between Traci and Frankie continued onward, mostly around the experience they had during their shared Cooking lesson and the praise they then received by the stern Professor Cracco.

An achievement, there was no reason to see it otherwise, with how demanding the teacher was with his students, but the real issue right now for Vixy was something completely different from that.

She had yet to make steps in securing the support from Hope through this connection. The first steps.

Having already contacted her ‘friend’ in the Singing Club, the Fox Prime just needed to seal the deal by pleasantly introducing the argument to the young Ravenhurst.

The plan was meant to be simple, there wasn’t any reason for the girl to at least make some thoughts over joining it.

Just giving out some summarized good points for joining it, putting some good faith about it, and then hopefully things would go for the best way possible for the Fox Prime.

But just as she prepared to begin this ‘theoretically’ simple plan, Vixy found herself finally bringing up the human during the conversation, with Traci introducing the topic of her duties as a cheerleader.

“ Still, it’s impressive that you’re capable of going through all the duties so flawlessly, Vixy,” Frankie finally turned his attention to her, his smile still present on his face as he seemingly failed to notice her surprised look. “I’ve met some of the girls responsible to organize the exercises and the formal appointments for the cheerleaders back in High School. It’s a tough job already there, but I bet it’s even more complicated here at Prism Uni.”

The Fox Prime blinked, green eyes looking back at the human. “I… I suppose it can be stressful. But I’m quite determined to not disappoint both the school and my own cheerleaders.”

“ Vixy is super tough,” Tiggs praised eagerly, some minor embarrassment developing within the facial features of the girl being mentioned. “In fact, she has taken the responsibility of setting up study groups for the few girls still having some trouble here at school.”

“ Keeping up with grades is part of the contract for Cheerleaders,” Vixy replied quietly. “I’m just doing the right thing.”

“ It’s not that easy as you make it, Vixy,” Frankie rebutted with a quick nod, a small smile still present on his lips. “I’ve also heard of Cheerleaders’ captains that end up shying away from this burden, sometimes they even bribe the teachers that are meant to make the contracts be respected so that they don’t get called out for their bad behaviors.”

...Is that really something that happened in other cheerleaders’ teams? It just sounded… so dumb.

Why would someone disregard the important bits of their works? If they like this hobby, there shouldn’t be a reason to actually ditch these duties.

“ This is why what you’re doing is quite admirable,” He continued determinedly. “Putting so much effort to make things right… it’s not something that everyone can just do as dutifully as you do.”

“ I...” Her lips closed instinctively, her mind failing to conjure anything to accurately respond to this strong compliment without some pondering. It felt just that… it needed much more thoughtfulness from her part.

Yet Vixy settled with something curt. “Thank you.”

Traci giggled as Frankie nodded back at that response, but then the Tiger Prime seemed to remember something important as she turned to look at Hope.

“ By the way… Hope, right?”

The Gazelle offered a slow, hesitant nod. “Yes?”

“ I’ve heard that you’re a natural singer.”

The Ravenhurst looked tense at this comment. “I am,” She replied carefully, getting a smile out of Tiggs with it.

“ Well, Vixy mentioned to me that she was friends with the president of the Singing Club here at Prism Uni,” Traci started to explain. “And since you’re good at it, I think she can put a good word for you to join it.”

Hope’s eyes widened in surprise at this. “Can we join clubs already? I thought that it was reserved for second years and older.”

“ There are clubs with that kind of requirement, but it’s only for those few clubs that actually request from students trying to join them a copy of the first year’s grades since they only accept those that can keep up a certain quota of grades and have early proof that can prove their genuine interest about it,” Vixy properly replied, then offering a nod to the girl. “But there are also clubs that already accept firsties. The Cheerleaders and the Singing Club are examples.”

“ I don’t want to sound… disrespectful,” Hope continued with a nervous tone. “But I guess it would be awkward for me to ask you now that I know. At least so soon and… without having contemplated the choice.”

“ You don’t need to make a decision now,” The Fox Prime assured quickly. “But if you wish to try, I can put in a good word for you so that they can evaluate you properly.”

“ That’s good to know, thanks.”

Vixy nodded. “You’re welcome.”

Miles hummed about this. “Still, I’m surprised that you never told us about this.”

“ It didn’t come up until now,” Hope replied with a nervous chuckle.

“ She is very good at singing,” Shin vouched with a small smile, causing the Gazelle Prime to blush at the praise. “And she loves it too.”

“ Well, that’s a pretty talent to have,” Frankie commented with a nod. “I suppose you’re trying for a professional take over this.”

“ I would like to, yes,” The girl admitted happily. “But I don’t want to sound too...”

“ Pompous?” Vixy guessed quietly, gaining a nod from the Ravenhurst. “I don’t think you fit well with that adjective. I think you should give it a try nonetheless.”

“ We’re at Prism Uni and, like Madam Jacqueline has mentioned during this year’s speech, we’re supposed to strive to achieve our ambitions and dreams,” Traci added with a determined tone. “We should all try to conquer our very dreams.”

“ Th-Thank you both,” Hope stammered a little at the quick-paced succession of compliments. “I will give it a serious thought and… I will contact you once I’ve made my decision.”

“ I understand,” The Fox Prime confirmed. “And I will wait for your response. It’s an important life-changing decision to make, after all.”

The discussion then strayed away from these topics, shifting back to both the Tiger Prime and the human keeping some conversation going while the others finished the food by their plates.

Vixy was happy with the results gained from the interaction, feeling like she had made real progress in cementing her role as someone relevant within the school’s circles.

A small step, but still a step towards the proper path to success.

But just as she felt ready to conclude this situation for good with that victory, her attention was once more attracted by one of the topics brought up during that discussion between Frankie and her friend.

“ Who is this ‘Davin’?” The human had inquired suddenly, making the Fox Prime pause in the midst of one of the last bites to the salad she had picked from the cafeteria.

“ Oh, he is the quarterback and the captain of the football team,” Traci started to explain, her tone assuming an uneasy beat. “He’s quite popular here, but I wouldn’t want you to come too close to him without some warnings.”

“ Fair warnings?” Miles asked with some confusion. “Is he dangerous or something?”

“ It’s more like he isn’t just the stereotypical jock,” Vixy muttered with a sigh, knowing that this very subject was going to be a thought one to explain properly. “His family is rich, and he is known to skip lessons and important tests for partying or unofficial football training sessions.”

“ You mean that his parents pay the school… and that makes him invulnerable to disciplinary actions?” Hope asked with a hint of surprise, her eyes widened a little more as the Fox Prime nodded at that. “But… I thought that Prism Uni-”

“ There will always be someone that can break the rules with proper reputation and economic leverage,” Miles commented with a sigh. “Still, I’ve to ask. He just doesn’t get any flak about skipping lessons?”

“ While he isn’t in class, he is recognized as a good student as he had been responsible for… helping with some troubling cases,” Tiggs replied hesitantly. “Some people at this school are a part of his group, the little clique he leads.”

“ And you’re not part of it,” Shin guessed correctly, getting a nod from both cheerleaders.

“ He tried recruiting both me and Tiggs, but… it wasn’t for our capacity as cheerleaders,” Vixy commented, drawing some allusion with her words.

“ That sounds dreadful,” The human said while frowning at the girls’ recounting. “I guess we will keep an eye for any strange stuff about this. Thank you for bringing this up.”

“ There’s no need for that,” Tiggs replied quite quickly, sounding a little chiding in the process. “After all, I don’t want my friends to get issues about it.”

And hopefully they will avoid having to deal with problems created by Davin and his group.

**There is just so much that can be expected from them, and Vixy prayed for none of that to truly come and become a reality.**

\----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d------------

**~New POV~**

In the peace and calm of her dorm room, a young woman was happily continuing with one of her solo projects.

It was rare for her to be experimenting on herself, especially with so many canvas wandering around Prism Uni that she could try out with her artistic mind.

Yet there was no hurry in rushing to pick some from the newest batch of students that had just joined the college, as there was so much that she herself had to do before she could go doing some fun diversions.

Angel Loveridge was carefully enjoying some lone moments away from dealing with the gossip and the nagging of the people living around the dorm.

It wasn’t like the Bunny Prime herself wouldn’t like to talk about the dreadful, yet amusing, circumstances happening at Prism, but she also had plenty of maturity to divide her free time to spend with people from the free time she wanted to dedicate to herself.

Everyone needs to be selfish at least once in a while on a daily basis, and Angel had long learned that lesson thanks to her unique experiences.

Dipping the bristles of her small brush in the small container filled with light-gray color, the young woman carefully approached the section of her fur on her right arm where she had previously stopped working on just an hour earlier.

Painting on herself, just like it was for every other Prime she had the chance of body-paint with, was quite the difficult task that required some steel-like patience and a degree of precision that stemmed from many failures and messy attempts.

Now her skill was mostly flawless thanks to her determined interest in improving over this delightful art she had discovered just a couple of years along.

The silence, the sensation of the wet brush reaching for her skin, and the warmth born from having done a proper work out of some lengthy sessions spent doing this.

It wasn’t something that required some heavy thinking, nor a fortification of her body.

This skill just needed the user to be able to grasp at their own core, to keep themselves still and mindful from making any mistakes on it.

Yet precision was still something that mattered a lot in those kinds of operations.

Painting over the fur was a curiously-messy business if the artist was unable to carefully understand the ‘direction’ and the proper pattern to adopt for the sake of keeping a homogeneous correlation with the rest of the artistic development impressed from other sessions.

Thinking, improving, changing, and finally deciding the final design to apply.

Her mind would always lose itself in this first step, and yet Angel was glad that she wasted so much time about it.

Tough decisions were meant to take as much time as possible, to be digested, elaborated, pondered, and ultimately made.

A single mistake, a little regret. It only takes one small detail to mess up everything and jeopardize one of her more complicated projects.

Patience, she would think while her mind tried to get her to look away even for a moment, her pink eyes growing a little irritated by the soft flickering of the small light she was using to illuminate the spot she was working onto.

She should’ve got that one looked up and fixed before starting this, and now she was supposed to work with it.

Cursing her past self for messing things up (again), the Bunny Prime tried putting more effort to just not mess things up now that she was mostly done with it.

Her legs, her left arm, and her torso. She had already gone through these sections and now what was left was her right arm.

And she was supposed to conclude this crucial bit without her favorite hand.

Huffing at her own issues, Angel didn’t notice at first the presence of someone else entering the room, her attention mostly directed at her current project.

Then her long ears caught footsteps within the area and she stopped her session by the wrist, trying to see whom it was through the darkness of the rest of the room and-

The intruder turned the main light of the room on.

The Bunny Prime groaned at being suddenly bathed in light, eyes closing instinctively at the situation but soon she was able to properly see the culprit behind this annoying development.

“ Are you done with your job for today?”

Pink eyes stared quietly at the Feline Prime moving by her side of the humongous room, a small white figure floating behind her with some papers.

“ Mostly. But I can interrupt for now,” Angel replied calmly. “I suppose you’re also done with Professor Bellman’s parting gift you wanted to give him, Tiare.”

Tiare Mehran adjusted her glasses while sighing, her attention at first directed at her laptop.

“ Almost,” The young woman answered with a sigh. “In about twenty minutes, I will have it checked, verified, and sent properly to him.”

“ Thank the Gods,” The Bunny Prime muttered under her breath. “I wouldn’t have survived another night helping you through your insomnia-related cases.”

The bespectacled girl stopped herself from reading the paper offered by her Nano-Zell Spirit, Era, at hearing these words. “Helping?” She sarcastically inquired, getting a hum from the fellow woman.

“ I reckon I was awake through your entire post ‘mad scientist’ moment when you were done working yesterday,” Angel reminded with a somewhat chiding tone.

“ You were awake for your own reasons, I recall you whining badly about being bored, not being seriously sickly as I was back then.”

Pink eyes narrowed at this. “Wait, boredom isn’t a sickness? What is this madness?”

“Cease with your distractions, Angel, I really need to get this done before Davin manages to get me _distracted_ again like it happened yesterday,” The Feline Prime interrupted quickly, her sight returning to the screen of her laptop.

Angel shrugged. “I mean, it’s not like you can tell him no if you think this personal assignment is that important,” The young woman pointed out. “Perhaps it’s not just a ‘distraction’ like you always define those moments of… heat.”

The bespectacled Prime didn’t reply at that, her mind having zoned out of reality as she focused her whole attention at the task at hand.

Rather annoying considering that the Bunny had wanted to play a little more with her friend, maybe tease about her own reluctance a little more to admit the fun she had been enjoying the day before.

There was no reason to say that Davin was just… good when he wanted to bring ‘happiness’ to girls.

Yet, there was this small thought in her head that tried convincing her to pester the intellectual into joining her for a private session of bodypainting crumbled within her mind at the fact that they had already done something like this already.

It wouldn’t have been just fun to repeat the same stuff, despite how hilarious it would be to get the nerdy girl all flustered and nervous once more.

It was rare nowadays to get an awkward-correlated reaction out of Tiare, the Feline Prime having grown fairly accustomed to Davin’s and Angel’s teasing methods.

It wasn’t just as fun as it was in the first couple of days. What an irritating detail to be living with.

Yep, she was now starting to feel it. The utter boredom was once more looming over her sleep-deprived mind.

What a tragedy! The horror!

Yet, in that moment of eternal dismay, a novelty popped out of the door with a dazzling smile.

“ Hello ladies,” Tobias’ head appeared by the doorstep, the Lion Prime taking a step in and gaining sudden interest from the Bunny Prime.

“ Tobi, long time no see,” She greeted happily.

“ Angel, I see what Davin meant with you being in need of some rest,” The young man smugly commented, getting a groan out of the woman’s lips.

“ And I see that you’re still a prick,” She retorted, arms crossing beneath her exposed chest. “What do you want?”

Tobias was about to answer quickly, but his eyes were mesmerized by something way below her eyes.

“ I...” He blinked, suddenly shaking his head as he realized what had happened, and flushing red at the smug smile now plastered on the Bunny Prime’s face. “I need to ask Tiare some questions.”

Angel huffed at this. “She’s busy right now with some unneeded school assignment. Should be done in twenty minutes.”

“ Shucks,” The Lion Prime sighed tiredly. “Really need this piece of info fast so I don’t need to worry for tomorrow.”

Now… that was something that quickly got her interest.

“ You’re planning anything important?” Angel inquired intrigued, then she let out a fake gasp. “Don’t tell me, little Tobi finally got herself a babe?”

“ I wish, right now I got nothing on that. Let’s just say that’s a work in progress.”

It’s been like that for a year now, and the Bunny Prime wondered about the possibility of the dummy’s mother to finally put him under some pressure over the matter.

“ I just need to know where a particular dorm room is,” He admitted quietly. “I wanted to ask some people if we could organize some study sessions for Professor Aken’s subject.”

“ I thought that nobody was capable of pulling that kind of miracle,” Angel pointed out with a hum. “Are you sure you aren’t getting scammed there, Tobi?”

“ Pretty sure that it’s legit,” The young man replied with a serious voice. “Still, I’m not sure if he would accept the offer so suddenly.”

“ C’mon, you’re part of the football team, I don’t think that there is someone that can turn you down about this,” Angel commented, knowing full well that everyone would just sell their soul for even a small bit of clout in this college.

“ The thing is that I know they both like Football and… I’ve barely talked to either of them up until now.”

“ You’re sounding hesitant, who’re you asking? Some fangirls?”

“ Oh hell no.” He replied with a huff, shaking his head at that eventuality. “Just Shin Aryoko and Frankie Parker.”

Her eyes widened in recognition at both names. “Parker is the human, right?”

“ Yes, why do you ask?”

Indeed, why now? Well, considering how bored Angel had been feeling in these last few days, the Bunny Prime couldn’t help but remember the article she read about body-painting for humans.

The sessions would be easier considering the lack of fur and the skin was smooth enough to preserve a vast array of designs without messing things up.

She had always painted on Primes, but humans? Now her interest had been piqued and the fact that Prism Uni had now one studying as a firstie was enough to garner her success.

Boredom was an ugly beast to face alone… perhaps with some persuasion she could get a ‘friend’ out of this.

“ Projects,” She hummed quietly, then blinking as she recalled the previous words. “Still, I didn’t think you knew about him already?”

“ I’ve met both him and Shin at the end of the first lecture with Aken, the human rocks history flawlessly and I really need to gain some grades with that teacher,” The Lion Prime explained. “Mom has been asking me to increase my efforts to get that specific C up to a proper B+ or more.”

“ Sounds tough,” Angel said while giving him a nod. “I mean, you shouldn’t be getting that kind of pressure-”

“ Despite what Davin might say, not everyone can ditch lectures whenever they want,” Tobias returned with a frown. “Mom wouldn’t just forgive me if I did.”

“ Maybe you should disappoint her just for once.”

“ Or maybe I should just live within my own limitations,” The young man muttered. “Just like you do with yours, both without having to deal with unwanted critics.”

“ If you call utter freedom a ‘limitation’, then perhaps you do need a critic.”

There was a little bit of irritation at this escalation. She hadn’t wanted this to happen, and maybe she could’ve shut her mouth way earlier instead of bringing some instigation from this.

Angel knew perfectly that Tobias loved to death his sole parent, and his mother loved him back like a proper ‘cub’.

Everyone had their own context in their lifestyles, and some just failed to grasp at the pretty fruit without any price at it. All for the sake of preserving the ‘goodness of their heart’.

_ What a silly idea. For people to be inherently good and all of that crap. _

But, before the situation could’ve exploded from there, someone pushed the Lion Prime inside before closing the door behind himself.

“ Seriously, I was just walking around and I return to see two friends of mine butting heads over something silly,” The red-haired Raccoon Prime mused with a mirthful tone. “Both of you, what’s up?”

“ Just being silly with Davey,” She giggled as the newcomer stared right where she wanted. “And I see that you’ve got your own silliness to that.”

“ Oh please, as if I would consider silly staring for some hours at your undeniable beauty, sweetheart,” Davin chuckled mirthfully while reaching out to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Still, to what do I owe you this visit, Tobi?”

“ I needed some info from Tiare, nothing too big,” The Lion Prime muttered quickly.

“ Then let’s ask her for some help,” The Quarterback replied calmly. “I’m sure she can spare time for this request.”

The two guys approached the slightly distracted Feline Prime, with the bespectacled girl having already finished her own task from her lack of interactions over the laptop.

She glanced to the side and sighed. “I see that you’re back, hon.”

“ Only needed a fresh walk around, nothing important,” Davin answered with a sigh. “Still, Tobi here needed something from your expertise.”

“ Nothing serious, I hope?”

The young man shook his head. “Just needed to know where Shin Aryoko, Frankie Parker and-”

“ -Miles Lionheart have their dorm room?” The Nano-Zell Spirit that had kept quiet up until now interjected. “I’ve kept this detail as you’ve asked, miss Mehran.”

“ Thank you, Era,” The Feline Prime said while sighing in relief, knowing that some little work was cut from that. “Then please relay the information to Tobi.”

“ Understood,” The Nano-Zell Spirit concluded before turning at the Lion Prime and providing him with some directions.

Angel’s ears twitched as she listened to this information for herself, knowing that it would come useful once she decided to make an effort of ‘friendship’ about the Sole human of Prism Uni.

Perhaps tomorrow she can give a proper look of how lectures truly are nowadays at the college.

Once Tobias was done with this kind of information, and had left the dormroom with a curt salute, Davin proceeded to lie down on his bed, patting to the side while looking at Angel.

“ C’mon babe, I think you will enjoy some cuddling and resting.”

She frowned. “Nothing else?”

“ Perhaps I will offer you something once you’re up and running as normal. But you need to sleep a little bit,” The young man replied, causing the Bunny Prime to sigh.

“ I suppose I can spare… two hours-”

“ Three-”

“ Goddammit...”

Despite her annoyance about this, Angel complied with the request and carefully moved up over the mattress before settling herself cuddling close to the Raccoon Prime.

Tiare sighed while staring at the situation from afar for a couple of moments… before then turning off her laptop and moving to the bed.

_**Perhaps some rest could truly help her recover the few hours she had lost yesterday because of that assignment.** _

\-----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d-------

**AN**

**The first collisions, the first ripples echoing in the pond… it’s only a matter of time for the entire plot to surface!**

_ **And I wonder how much it will take for Tila to make an appearance.** _

**Probably in a couple of chapters. I can guarantee she will appear before the end of Year 1.**

_ **Noice~** _

**And with that, I’m going to sleep.**

_ **Okie~** _

**...And you’re fine with that?**

_ **For now, yes.** _

…


	7. Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (3)

**Chapter 7: Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (3)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

**~Frankie’s POV~**

Only one day remained before the first weekend away from home began.

I wasn’t expecting anything concerning school-related matters, and I was already making plans on how I wanted to spend Saturday and Sunday.

I had some ideas, yet none of them were complete or important enough to put more thought over this circumstance.

Friday, surprisingly, lacked any of yesterday’s pressure, and I was quick to notice the fact that I was slowly growing ‘accustomed’ to the schedule of the first year.

While there were some things that I still haven’t accepted fully in my new daily life, I felt particularly sure that it was just a matter of time before I had everything under control.

But what truly made this last day a blessing after the rest of the week had gone by was the fact that there were only two lectures that I had to deal with.

I thought it was some form of leniency, a reason to spend some more time studying the complex structure of the Prism University. But while this good idea had spearheaded my positive mood up until the first lecture started, I soon found out that someone else had already made some plans that involved me.

As I quietly took a seat beside Hope before the lesson of Prime Literature began, I realized that the Gazelle Prime had finally decided it was time to make the first steps in our recently-formed ‘alliance’.

“ I have a plan.”

A few words, some determination making them heavier than they sounded like, and I spared her a curious glance while I opened my notebook.

Blinking for a moment, I perplexity made a brief appearance as I thought back at the fact I had accepted this very situation.

To be fair, I wasn’t even sure how convenient it was for me to keep this situation going… as I knew way too well that I would eventually get burned by offering assistance.

Shin was offering me his trust- or better, he was giving me trust as I was proving to be a good friend and roommate to him.

I didn’t belittle him for his age, nor did I feel annoyed by his voracious curiosity. I was actually impressed by his personality, a mix of mature wisdom with childish fascination over science and other mind-related arts.

He was polite, respectful, but also very quick to provide his opinion over the matter.

Despite Miles’ quick jabs at the young man’s height or intelligence, there was no doubt that the Cat Prime gave out these comments in a somewhat restrained manner.

He was irked by the interest the blond had over his path here at Prism Uni, but not genuinely disliking the kind of personality that was unique to our mutual roommate.

Maybe there was more to that, yet it didn’t seem that Miles had any genuine issues with Shin over the decisions on studying their shared subjects.

Returning back to that simple morning, I stared at the girl for some time, drawing an awkward look out of her.

“ What?”

“ Just... forgot for a moment what was the topic,” I replied quietly, looking away as I prepared my pens. “So, what’s the plan?”

Hope nodded, glancing at her own side of the table and opening her own notebook at an empty page.

“ You know that Shin is Japanese, right?” She inquired, glancing to the side and settling her green-eyed stare on my hands. “I suppose he did tell you that.”

I blinked. “He did, and I really hope you’re not planning to do something dumb.”

A huff left her lips as she shook her head at the comment, smiling again as she doodled a little on the upper side of her notebook.

“ Nothing dumb… or at least, I don’t think it’s dumb,” She replied with a nod. “Since you’re good at cooking, I wanted to ask if you wanted to help me make some Japanese sweets for Shin.”

This time I actually looked up at Hope, the girl glancing back at me, her confusion rising up at my silent glancing.

“ Is that dumb?”

“ Not really. No,” I admitted quietly. “I mean, it wouldn’t be too odd for you to use the excuse that you want to try out a recipe you saw while browsing the net with your phone.”

The Gazelle Prime, her smile returning with a stronger intensity. “That’s why I think that it will work well. It’s simple, it’s harmless and-”

“ It will take a lot of time to get some Japanese food,” I interrupted with a sigh, bringing her happiness to a quick stop. “While the idea is good, it doesn’t mean that it would have difficulty because of time itself.”

A frown adorned her face, surprise mixed with some confusion.

“ Then why not bring Traci to help us as well?” The girl suggested, making me take a brief pause from writing the beginning bit of the lesson.

While I pondered over this, Hope used the opportunity to summarize in her notes the introduction part of the lesson, with Professor Dorion making use of the interactive blackboard to describe the historic period we were currently studying.

“ While Friday is a peaceful day for us, I think Traci has practice with the rest of the cheerleaders,” I pointed out slowly. “I can send her a message to see if she has some spare time after lunch, but I’m not sure what her schedule is so I will not lift up your hopes about it.”

She sighed, scribbling furiously over her notebook.

I glanced at her paper, noticing that she was ‘cutting’ some words she had written without thinking about it.

We were both getting distracted in this conversation, especially Hope as she looked fairly interested by the main topic.

Perhaps it was also the ‘importance’ of succeeding with this new ‘plan’ that factored in as well, so I merely shifted the attention away from the present.

“ You know, you never told me how you started to...” I paused for a moment, yet her attention was still on me. “You know, how did you start to love him.”

She tensed a little, glancing around as to see if someone was eavesdropping at our discussion.

“ I… I think it was when we were still children,” The Gazelle Prime started to answer. “It was a senseless crush, one that I didn’t give much thought to in the first few times...”

“ Then?” I pressed quietly, still paying some attention at the lecture.

“ Then the ‘crush’ continued to be a constant element for years, from Elementary School to High School,” She muttered with a sigh. “We didn’t spend much time together because we didn’t go to the same establishments, but we found solace in each other's company.”

“ You don’t need to answer this, but you didn’t have any problem about friends-”

“ The opposite actually,” The young woman interjected with a tiny smile. “I’m a social butterfly, but I ended up losing many friends from High School by deciding to study here. I still hear from them from time to time.”

I nodded at her answer, thinking that this little suspect of mine was just quite silly and-

“ But Shin wasn’t as lucky as I was,” Hope continued much to my brief surprise. “He didn’t speak much of any friends he made during that time. He’s rather reserved about the topic, but I could see him being a loner with how shy he can get with new people.”

Frowning at this addition, I offered another nod, this time glancing at Professor Dorion as she continued with her lesson.

“ Thank you,” I muttered quietly, causing the girl to give me a surprised look.

“ And for what?”

“ You might not think much about it, but the fact you were so available to offer me this much information is… nice,” I admitted while looking back at her. “I mean, it sounds like some of this information is quite private between you and Shin-”

“ Nah, it’s… I would say it’s more of something that not many tend to see while looking at him,” The young woman interjected, shrugging a little at my words. “Plus, I know you mean well, and I also know that you care for Shin.”

Giving her a nod, I pondered over her comment for a while, but before I had the chance to finish the conversation, I felt her hand reach out for my sleeve and give it a tug.

“ By the way, what about you?”

The question this time caught me by surprise, a frown swiftly appearing on my face as I designed her with a confused look.

“ Mhh?”

“ I think we should also start thinking about your own ‘problem’,” Hope pressed on with some curiosity dripping from her words. “We’re equal partners with this alliance, and I don’t see why I should be the only one making progress.”

I leaned on the chair, trying my best to not show any displeasure at the fact that I was literally unprepared to face this kind of situation right now.

“ Wouldn’t it be prudent to wait for you to get some progress made instead of complicating things too much-”

“ Don’t use that excuse on me,” She interjected with a huff. “You aren’t getting away from some proper interrogation over the kind of girls you like.”

I gulped nervously. “I’m not really-”

“ Don’t tell me that you actually haven't thought about it,” Hope pressed on with some surprise. “You didn’t think about the potential relationship you could have with… Traci? You both seem quite loving to each other.”

I stopped to think at the possibility of going a step further with the care I had for the funny Tiger Prime.

Tiggs was nice, beautiful, and quite friendly. Yet I couldn’t see her more than a close friend.

Maybe it was a thought born from the fact that it was only the first week here at Prism, or maybe it was something more and-

I stopped at this trail of thought as the only certainty I could draw was that it wouldn’t work… right now.

“ I see her as a close friend.”

“ You hug each other a lot,” The Gazelle Prime pointed out with some skepticism.

“ We both like to hug our friends. I suppose you are the one that starts hugs with Shin, rarely the opposite.”

She blinked, realizing that it was the truth. I remember Shin mentioning that a few days ago while talking about Hope, but I never found a situation up until now where this information could actually help me.

“ What about Vixy?” The girl asked again, seemingly unwilling to ditch the topic.

“ What about her?”

“ She was looking at you for a long time yesterday,” Hope tried bringing this detail up as proof of something happening with her and… I sighed.

“ She’s just giving me the same long look many students have when I’m around,” I retorted with a huff. “I’ll remind you that I’m a human-”

“ Bah, she looked more than just ‘oh, he is a human’ interested, she ‘oh, he looks quite interesting’ interested.”

…

“ I think you’re seeing more than there is,” I rebuked calmly, her fingers tugging again at my sleeve. “And can you stop with that?”

“ Not until you show me a proper mindset for your own situation,” The girl demanded, pouting a little at my lack of genuine interest in this matter. “If you continue like this, you will never be able to get a relationship. And it’s not like girls will approach you if you don’t start making a serious effort about it-”

As she concluded with these words, I noticed her green eyes moving away from me and right to the owner of the shadow looming from behind me.

The sudden realization that someone was waiting there was enough to make me slowly turn around and see who was standing there and… I blinked at the sight I was bestowed with.

“ Can I help you?” I inquired calmly, addressing the quiet Bunny Prime behind me as she seemed to be waiting for my input.

She had waist-long black hair, her fur was a shade of dark lighter than her hair, and her pink eyes bored into my face as if trying to see something more than just my appearance.

The young woman calmly nodded, pointing her stare and index at the chair next to mine, currently unoccupied.

“ Is this seat taken?” 

The question was simple and incredibly curt. 

So curt that I offered her a positive answer in the form of a slow nod.

Letting out a small smile at the ‘reply’, she then moved to occupy the chair in question, placing her small bag by the table.

I expected her to bring out a notebook and some pens to follow the lecture, yet the Prime merely fished out what looked to be a sketchbook, a pencil and some markers from it.

It wasn’t truly a stunning development, especially since I’ve met some students during High School that were known to give little interest over lessons.

Those were either part of the group made by troublemakers, or they were people that didn’t have to worry about getting bad grades after getting caught in the matter for one reason or another.

Yet the fact that this was happening now within the walls of a college was a different situation altogether.

It was all correlated to the rules of Prism Uni, which were surprisingly lenient compared to the ones of a common High School.

Teachers weren’t meant to be punishing students that were distracted during their lectures, as lectures themselves were, at least not until the behavior itself ended up getting disruptive enough to make it difficult to continue the lesson itself.

If this had happened all by a standard exam situation, perhaps it would’ve caused more of a kerfuffle than just some frowning from my part.

But instead of questioning the Bunny Prime’s current actions and creating unnecessary issues, I decided to return my attention to the lecture, my pen scribbling once more as I tried my best to keep up with the new details on the blackboard.

We were halfway done with the first of the two lessons for today, and I was quite certain that the conversation with Hope was finally over with that arrival.

Yet I was proven wrong when I started feeling someone tugging at my sleeve… again.

I frowned while turning to gaze back at the Gazelle Prime, spotting a small smile on her pretty face early on.

She didn’t say anything, looking particularly confusing at first as she limited this interaction to merely glancing at behind me as if suggesting me to-

Yeah, I wasn’t going to do that.

I mouthed a quick ‘no’, but the girl didn’t pause in her new ‘duty’, huffing mutedly as she gave me a heated glare to try and push me into a situation I really didn’t want to be part of.

An opportunity for me. 

That seemed to be what the young woman was trying to ‘tell’ me, despite my continuous reluctance to do anything with the newcomer.

It wasn’t like she was someone I was unwilling to approach, but there was a problem with the general tact of approaching this situation.

The atmosphere was getting awkward from my current predicament, thus making any first steps wouldn’t be convenient at all for-

“ Your name is Frankie.”

A familiar voice quietly stated as I turned to glance at where the Bunny Prime was sitting by, yet I wasn’t met with her own eyes.

She was still paying much of her attention on her now-open sketchbook, a half-done drawing visible on the page where she was currently working on.

A curious pattern, I was fascinated by the design as it did seem quite familiar at first look.

I blinked at the fact that it wasn’t a question, more of an affirmation. 

“ Yes. And you are?”

Hope poked harshly at my elbow, probably trying to bring up the fact that I was being too direct about it.

Yet I knew that already as I proceeded onwards with this kind of attitude. 

It wasn’t an attempt to appear rude, but to try and match up with the kind of curtness present in that mannerism.

“ Angel,” The woman answered calmly, not showing any irritation at the way she was being interrogated with.

“ Nice to meet you,” I said with a quick nod, trying to appear at least somewhat interested in my tone.

“ Likewise,” She muttered quietly, staying silent for some time as I continued to stare at her drawing.

I waited for a while, staring as Angel continued with her own business and I decided that it was about time to address the curious work on her sketchbook.

“ Is that for a tattoo?” I finally asked, my curiosity peaking as I had slowly come to realize that this wasn’t just a simple drawing.

The design and style screamed of ‘Tattoo’ or something similar like that.

Her ears twitched, and her pink eyes darted slowly to look at me. “Not truly, no,” The Bunny Prime admitted. “But I wish that would be a possibility.”

“ It looks good,” I praised quietly. “If it’s not asking too much-”

“ I do body-painting,” The young woman interrupted with a sigh, settling her pencil down. “I guess you’ve other questions?”

I blinked. “Do you want me to ask more questions?”

“ It depends,” Angel hummed at my words. “Can I ask questions myself about you?”

At this point? I think there wasn’t a reason to back away from this situation. 

Hope was listening to the entire conversation in utter silence, trying her best to appear uninterested… yet I could see the Bunny Prime looking her way and giving a fairly-curious expression over the matter.

Still, I offered a shrug over the query. “I don’t see why not.”

My reply was met with a small smile, her full attention now on me at the chance of probing back for some more info.

“ Then we can try.”

The remainder of the hour was spent in simple questions. Nothing that dug too deeply into her character, just like she kept herself from pressing for anything too personal.

In the end I was provided with a curious new acquaintance, a phone number… and an appointment for some body-painting for tomorrow.

Hope called it some progress to my part, but I don’t know why I felt it was more different than some romantic opportunity.

_**Still, Friday was far from over and we had yet to go ahead with the girl’s plan for the day.** _

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**~Hope’s POV~**

The very moment the second lesson came to an end, Hope’s plan had started.

Miles was assigned to the ‘simple’ role of keeping Shin distracted and unaware of what they were doing away from their respective dorm rooms.

The Cat Prime had been keen in accepting the role, at the price of a share of the food they were going to prepare.

And with Frankie managing to get permission to use the kitchen within the Cooking Classroom, Hope felt that things were going to end up well.

While she had been having doubts about actually succeeding with this plan, she couldn’t help but be glad that Tiggs had joined them when the human had asked about her interest in taking part in their initiative.

The big girl wasn’t explaining the real reason behind this situation, but the excuse that the young man had decided to use was correlated to boredom-induced curiosity over the means to accomplishing this dish.

The Tiger Prime had displayed a degree of eagerness over the opportunity of trying out a dish she never thought of trying out before, and her determination was further intensified by the fact it was a sweet-based food that they were aiming for.

The fact that there weren’t any practice sessions for the cheerleaders for the rest of the day also meant that the big girl had no issues in staying for the entire duration of the process.

Browsing around for any good recipes and finding the ingredients around in Prism took about an hour, yet she was glad that she ended up finding everything that was needed for the creation of some Dango sticks.

The idea had sounded interesting when she first started reading the page, especially since the concept reminded her much of how marshmallows looked and were regarded as.

Yet those were far from simple marshmallows as the various unique ingredients made the difference.

Frankie had to read and re-read the recipe together with Traci for quite some time in order to properly understand how they were supposed to go through the instructions listed on the page.

Both had appeared quite confident in being capable of making something like this, yet the positive news had yet to come to a closure as there weren’t just three people working on this culinary project.

Vixy’s presence had been a surprise for the Gazelle Prime, but one that Hope had instantly welcomed as the cheerleader had been quick to muse over her interest at trying out one of the resulting sweets.

With the full team now composed, the preparation began without interruption.

…

Or at least that was how Hope had wanted things to go from the very beginning.

While she had been confident in trying to do a good job over the planned steps to take, the girl had sorely forgotten a small detail that was actually… bigger than she needed it to be.

Her mother was an excellent chef, being the one that did most of the work by the kitchen while the young Prime was still back home.

But while the woman was someone capable of moving around her kitchen, the rest of the family had been cursed with Kayin Ravenhurst’s  **unique** cooking style, or lack thereof.

It wasn’t really a curse if the girl had to be honest, but rather a degree of involuntary unwillingness to make the correct choices for the preparation of food was what tended to mess up… everything.

Which translated into her current disposition, with her side of the kitchen suddenly becoming a chaotic mess right after ten minutes had passed. .

Tiggs had quickly moved to help her out, or at least offering as much support as she could while Frankie covered for her vacated position.

Where Hope made some clumsy mistakes that she was failing miserably to stabilize on her own, Tiggs would try to balance with the best of intentions, ending up with fixing the messes only partially.

And with their timing less than optimal from the Gazelle Prime had wanted for it to be because of her initial flaws over her role, Vixy proved to be more competent than she was by handling her own station quite decently. Still, it was a little slower compared to both of the Cooking Class students.

Harmony in that chaotic situation was found twenty minutes after that predicament had started, with Hope still struggling with her own role as two sticks with three Dangos were each laid down on a big plate.

Four more were needed to satisfy the completion of their planned quota, so the preparation was almost halfway done.

While the pace wasn’t the ideal one, they were going pretty fast considering the difficulties that had crippled their capacity.

But as the Gazelle Prime grew more attentive with her own actions and getting more confident with her chances of finally getting a grip over her station, another tragedy struck.

Vixy let out a sudden yelp of pain while retreating away from her station, the girl holding her right hand close as her face sported a pained look for a few seconds.

She waved her palm to try cooling the small burn down, then blew some air on her damaged finger before reaching for the sink.

“ Are you okay?” Frankie asked while looking at her, the Fox Prime merely sighing as she let the cool water on her finger.

“ Mostly, it’s just the shock now but… seems like it’s nothing to worry about.”

The positive response did little to solve the fact they were down a member because of one little burn.

Quite ironic that it was the daughter of the Crest of Fire that got that kind of injury.

Yet the human decided to make a unique decision.

“ Vixy, if you manage to get the situation under control, I can leave you part of Tiggs’ original tasks,” He offered with a hum. “Just the ones that don't have you straining the finger.”

The young woman seemed to ponder about it, but she eventually seemed to give a slow nod at the proposal.

“ I think… I will be back in two minutes.”

“ Understood and- Thank you,” The young man stated before returning his attention on his side of the kitchen.

Hope sighed in relief as not everything was lost because of that unexpected development, with her control over her own tasks increasing more and more.

It was arduous to ultimately regain the full bearing of the situation, but after another ten minutes Tiggs was finally relieved to return to help Frankie by sharing the burden created by the station vacated by Vixy.

Their hardships went on for another hour, with the preparation of the sixth and final Dango stick on the now full plate.

With their initiative now finished without any major issues, it was time to examine the product finally complete… but not before calling for the two wayward Primes meant to take part at this final test.

Miles was contacted shortly afterwards by Frankie himself, and told to bring the unsuspecting Shin right to the kitchen, as they were just waiting for them with the preparations finally over.

With the two starting to make their way to them, Hope couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous over the results obtained from their hard work despite the fact she had some pride over the content of that large plate.

The dumplings looked delicious by sight, and the sweet aroma was quite a tempting element in the Japanese dessert.

To see the blond appear so surprised when presented with the food that had been waiting for him was quite a great scene to envision from afar, and it was easily surpassed by what followed that moment.

Shock swelled in Shin within that moment of stunned silence, yet the White Tiger Prime seemed to recover quickly the instant he was offered one of the Dango sticks to eat from.

Hope felt anxious as Frankie muttered to the blond something about the Dango he was offered having been ‘prepared by Hope with lots of care and attention’, making her internally panic at the possibility of the teen discovering her real motivation.

Yet, just like it was now expected in her long history of efforts, Shin ignored the hidden meaning in the human’s words, and she stared at her love interest taking the first bite out from the top dumpling.

Her anxiety vanished moments later as she eased up at the sight of his eyes widening in genuine awe at the taste.

With victory confirmed after much time and effort had been put into creating these delicious things, the girl then started to enjoy her own stick, humming happily at the delicious flavor created by the sweet ingredients.

Her eyes wandered away from her dumplings as she studied the reactions from the rest of the group.

Miles was talking quite rapidly with an amused Tiggs, with the Cat Prime to get some more insight over the ingredients used to make the dessert, which the fellow Feline was more than happy to provide at a more normal pace of voice.

While Frankie was… quietly putting a small band-aid on Vixy’s burned fingertip.

“ I should’ve been more careful,” The Fox Prime muttered with some annoyance.

“ You should, but at least it’s nothing to worry about,” The human commented back with a nod. “At least you didn’t get blisters.”

The girl flinched at the mere thought. “And now I’m losing my appetite.”

“ Then does that mean that I can take your stick?” The young man inquired with a little grin, a snort leaving Vixy’s lips as she snatched the second stick out from the young man’s closest hand.

“ Nope.”

A chuckle left his mouth, making the small smile within the Fox Prime’s lips widen up a little more at the development.

Hope blinked, pondering well over the scene happening so close to her.

Her own words over helping Frankie with his own dilemma were now echoing in her mind as she thought about the possibility of pairing him with Vixy.

While she wouldn’t deny the fact that Angel had seemed like an interesting individual with good intentions, there was just something that made the Gazelle Prime doubt that what she had seen in that encounter was completely genuine.

Something was off and… Frankie had apparently noticed it from the very beginning.

Yet the human didn’t seem as cautious as she was right now over the matter.

In fact, he had sounded quite serious with his willingness to go meet with the Bunny Prime for tomorrow morning.

With her suspicions hindering her capacity to offer good support for that kind of endeavor… Hope saw in Vixy a candidate that was a little better to get a read of.

Or at least she hoped that it was the case.

The Fox Prime didn’t look to have inherited the Crest of Fire’s well-known hatred for her family, which made interactions with her possible without any animosity.

Plus her overall behavior suggested that she was a friendly individual with just a couple of ambitions over her main role here in Prism Uni.

Then there was the fact that Tiggs counted as the best proof Hope had about the younger girl’s good intentions, and with the interaction she just finished witnessing, she could see something sparking with a few nudges.

Perhaps Vixy was the best candidate for Frankie to date and go for a romantic route, as they both seemed to have enough chemistry to work as a proper couple.

But while Hope felt like she had accomplished a good victory today, the girl failed to notice that something was indeed off from her initial speculation.

Instead of capitalizing on the fact that Shin was now well-distracted and easy to talk to as she had planned to do, the Gazelle Prime had turned her complete attention over the predicament happening to her ‘partner’.

_**But the reasons driving her to prioritize this detail were unknown even to her as she stared and… contemplated over the oddity that was Frankie Parker.** _

\-------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------

**AN**

**This chapter is over and-**

_**Did you know that I made a new acquaintance?** _

**...I think I know whom you’re referring to.**

_**Really? Did she make an appearance in the notes too?** _

**She did, and I think we need to talk about you being irresponsible in giving that kind of power to certain individuals.**

_**It’s not that bad.** _

**I swear, if I end up dealing with someone like Francesca Prelati or Rizevim Lucifer, (or Gods forbid,** _**HIM** _ **)** **I will not go to Paraiso.**

_**Now, it wouldn’t be that bad if-** _

**That’s the line. Pass over it, and I will take drastic actions.**

_**...Meanie.** _

**All for the greater good- I mean, yes, new chapter and we got some action going. Could it be that Angel is meaning well? Maybe, or maybe not.**

_**Do you think I should appear in the story very soon?** _

**It all depends by two circumstances and… I think you might appear a little later than two Crests I plan to introduce in the next arc.**

_**Wait- I don’t remember reading about-** _

**I’ve changed the locks and moved my notes. Sorry.**

**.** _**..Meanie.** _


	8. Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (4)

** Chapter 8: Friends, Trials, and Chaos! (4) **

** Beta-Reader: Ant0nius **

** ~Frankie’s POV~ **

Body-painting wasn’t something I was well-versed in.

Sure, I had heard of people having gone and made experiences through this oddly-intimate art. Turning one’s body into a canvas sounded poetically interesting, yet there was still the practical issue of showing skin during the process. And I’m not referring just to arms, legs, and the face.

Torso, upper and lower back… stomach. And even more.

While I wasn’t overly shy in showing some of my chest around on specific occasions like visits to the beach or some fun by a swimming pool, the fact that I was doing this for the sake of painting felt quite awkward. Not unpleasant, just embarrassing.

Still, I had made a promise to Angel, and had no reason to back away so suddenly about it. After we finished cleaning up the kitchen area, I proceeded to walk alone by the section of the dorms where the dark-furred bunny had mentioned to be staying at.

I quickly took notice of the ‘change’ between the various zones assigned to the students from the other years. Angel might’ve been a year older than me, yet I would soon learn that her dorm room was way better than my early expectations.

Once I arrived at the door, I proceeded to deliver three quick, but soft, knocks. Backing away, I barely heard a muffled ‘a moment’ from the other side and soon footsteps started to approach. The lock was unlocked, and the door was moved to allow the young woman to peek outside. She blinked, a small smile on her face.

“ I see you’re punctual.”

The comment was met with a nod, but I delayed verbally responding only for the time to enter inside, right as she stepped aside and allowed me passage. I hummed, eyes giving a quick scan around the room.

“ I didn’t have much to do up until now,” I muttered quietly. “How are you?”

The query was met with a blink as Angel closed the door and reached for the queen-sized bed to pick a small box. Her ears twitched at the words, but she seemed fairly calm.

“ Peachy,” She replied distractedly, before offering me a little more attention once she was done with checking on the box. “Genuinely so. I’ve had a particularly smooth day. What about you?”

I shrugged. “Helping one of my friends with some cooking. Nothing too burdening.”

Pink eyes sported a degree of interest at my response.

“ Is that so? Was it… Hope?” She pressed carefully. Her tone was restrained, holding back much of her curiosity as I nodded.

The lack of a more elaborate answer seemed to stop the brief conversation, with the girl gesturing for me to follow into… another room connected to the main one. I’d always thought that dorm-rooms weren’t meant to have more than a single room for each group.

Yet this seemed to be a unique case and… I found myself standing before an artistic workshop, one filled with plenty of curious objects to study. Various designs were framed with some signatures, some having Angel’s name on them while others having differing signatures. A small section was dedicated to contain the equipment, and I could already see brushes and cans of colors there that waited to be used.

“ I don’t think I’ve asked you about this. Have you ever tried this before?” The Prime inquired with a quick glance in my direction, her sight returning to the now open box as she patiently put the various substitute pencils together with the rest.

“ Not yet, - only heard about it,” I admitted without lingering too long over the question. She seemed a little bit annoyed by this, yet the dark emotions vanished in her features as she nodded in understanding.

“ I suppose that would do. You don’t need to do anything after all.”

She placed two pillows down, sitting by one while gesturing to me to follow her example, before taking a seat by the unoccupied one. She had a small drawing board, pencils, pens and brushes being kept by her left side and some colors on the other side.

“ I had some thoughts up until now. Right now, I can offer you a look at a couple of sketches I was working on. Nothing too complicated,” Angel commented as she turned her board around. I started to give it a proper look and… I was awed by the examples there.

One had a vine-like complex with a dark-gray and white thematic alternation. It’s pattern was enticing enough to make me almost pick it up instantly. The entire complex would look pretty neat if limited by one of my arms and then go ‘hiding’ behind my shirt. Glancing lower, I then studied the two other styles.

The next one looked like some small-character writings that were interrupted by vertical bars once every couple of centimeters. I could imagine it being quite cool if drawn around the middle of both of my arms, just a little higher from the elbows.

Finally, I took some seconds to analyze the heartbeat-like motif used similarly to the first style. It looked pretty nice, but not the kind of stuff I would try out because it didn’t match well with my own ‘theme’.

Deciding between the two choices got me silent for a little while, with Angel continuing to stare patiently and seemingly understanding my slow decision-making. Maybe this wasn’t the first time she had to deal with someone as indecisive as me.

In the end, I stuck with the first option. Something that gained a smile out of the bunny as she nodded at my choice.

“ I was thinking the same. Let me guess, you didn’t feel the third one much?”

I blinked, but gave a genuine nod as she sighed.

“ The last pick was kind of a random one. I was distracted when I thought about it and… it became that.”

Putting her board down, she started preparing the small brush and the small can with the dark-gray color, her attention divided between me and her final steps for the preparation.

“ You should start to remove your shirt,” The Prime hummed calmly, her head tilting a little as she sighed over the blend smoothly coating the brush. “The design will end just a little bit before your neck but… it would be best to remove it now, instead of risking ruining the entire process.”

I nodded, flashing a nervous look as I slowly started to pull up my shirt. I had expected this… yet I still felt rather awkward by the prospect of being bare-chested in front of someone I barely knew. Especially if said ‘someone’ was a gorgeous girl like Angel.

The bunny didn’t seem to mind much about my uneasy self, her sight fixing momentarily by my chest, half-mesmerized by the toned stuff there and… she turned to my left arm, her hand reaching to carefully lift it up.

“ Stay still like this, please.”

I nodded, holding the limb stretched as she gave it a proper look around as to plan out where she was supposed to start with the motif. Soon Angel started to paint by the left side of my hand, carefully building up the style vertically for a few centimeters. Then the girl slowly turned the line diagonally on the right, starting what looked to be a spiral.

The more she progressed, the more she was forced to make brief pauses to pull the pillow and herself closer to where I was sitting. I wasn’t minding much about it at first, but then she grew quite close to me and I couldn’t help but stare a lot at her focused expression. She just looked so… passionate with the current project.

I was forced to turn my stare away multiple times as I really didn’t want to make this more awkward than it needed to. The Prime shifted a little more closer, to conclude the section above the elbow, but she was ultimately forced to go around and settle on my left side as to conclude the area that reached up to my arm-joint.

Finally she reached for my upper back, near my neck, as she prepared to conclude the careful operation. I was unsure how much time had passed since we had begun, yet I was quite sure it was well beyond the half an hour I had estimated up until we had started. Angel didn’t seem to mind the lengthy amount of time spent in this endeavor. She actually seemed to enjoy it from the tiny smile present during the entire process.

A pleased sigh left her lips as she retreated one last time with the brush, and I knew that we were finally done with the painting. Now, it was time to wait for the color to dry up. She stood up from her pillow, picking it up as she moved back to her initial position as I took a moment to look at her hard-work.

“ Truly a masterpiece, Angel,” I commented bluntly, drawing a nod from the girl.

“ It’s a little easier compared to fur-painting, but I had to be careful to not brush too hard. There were some close calls of me getting to ruin this- but yes, it’s a nice work.”

She took her board in her hands, scribbling on it for a while as I glanced back at the drying paint, feeling unsure of how I was supposed to keep up a discussion with the bunny. I knew that she seemed quite attached to body-painting, yet I wasn’t much sure that I could keep up a decent conversation without making things turn weird.

Yet, I still tried and the results were… interesting to say the least.

“ Is this your first time body-painting a human?” I inquired quietly, glancing back at Angel as she stopped with her writing.

“ It is,” The young woman confessed without hesitation. Her pink eyes stared up from the board and up to my face. “I’ve studied the concept for some time now, and I’ve come to realize that humans were the ones that sparked the interest within Primes to try and experiment with this.”

I frowned at that. “Wait, you mean that it wasn’t a common custom?”

“ Not before the first decades of life in Neo-Earth,” The Bunny continued with her explanation, showing quite the knowledge over the topic. “There were attempts. I remember studying sometime ago that there were rituals for the Dragon Gods that made use of paints to apply to the body… but these traditions were limited to that.”

“ I suppose it might be… related to the fact Primes have to paint over their own fur,” I suggested, starting to get fascinated by this very subject. It wasn’t the first time I learned something more about Primekind that up until now I wasn’t aware about.

“ I couldn’t find anything to support that idea, but I too feel that it might be the reason why the practice didn’t spread that much,” Angel added with an eager voice. “Either that or it might be related to the whole ‘Narakhan’ situation.”

I felt stopping at that very term, confused as this was the first time I heard about it.

“ Narakhan?”

She blinked, surprise adorning her face. “You’ve never heard about the tribes? I… I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that humans don’t know much about them.”

I gave her a curious look, spurning her to continue with this new topic. There was a hint of uneasiness at starting to discuss this, but she indulged without any complaints.

“ Narakhans are… kind of the generic bad guys. Not all of them are evil but they were on the same side as the Emperor,” The bunny explained with some hesitation. “They still exist, some having forsaken the old connections to the big guy. These in particular have some administrative holds away from the major hubs to create any diplomatic incidents, but they all have to deal with some magical bond with what’s left of the Emperor’s… evilness.”

“ Magical?”

“ Okay, it’s complicated and- how about we play a game?” Angel suddenly proposed. “You offer questions, but I get to ask my own questions too.”

I blinked, surprised by this little ‘strong’ development, but I eventually shrugged. “Sure.”

“ Let’s start with something simple,” She said before easing up her posture and offering me a smug look. “What is ‘Hope’ to you?”

...Oh boy, it was going to be one of those days, wasn’t it?

“ A friend,” I calmly answered, only for the bunny to lean closer and narrow her eyes in a teasing light.

“ Is that so? Are you sure that’s the correct answer?”

Is there even a correct answer? I was just answering truthfully to her queries. Could it be that… she was suspecting about something more?

…

Doubtful. Very doubtful.

“ Yes,” I dryly remarked, before giving her a calm look. “Now, what were you talking about with this ‘magic’?”

“ As I’ve said before it’s quite complicated. The only thing I can mention right now is that the Crests have their clans and from there the Knights are ‘created’,” The girl replied with a huff. “Magic is something from the Dragon Gods, I really don’t know how and why, but it does exist.”

I nodded, but I noticed quite quickly that she was getting rather annoyed by talking about this very subject. Perhaps I should be switching topics again back to body-painting.

“ Now, next question… since Hope is just a ‘friend’, you wouldn’t mind if she started going after someone that isn’t you, right?” The bunny asked quite fiercely, maybe in the efforts to get a rise out of me. “It’s hypothetical, but how would you react to that?”

“ With a smile and perhaps helping her… just like I’m doing right now.”

I had to hold back a snort as I saw a confused look appear on her face, then slow realization melted her lack of understanding in the purest form of clarity.

“ Is she already going for someone?” The Prime asked with utmost surprise. “But- She didn’t seem to- I mean, you two do look fairly close.”

“ I’m helping her with that very situation,” I admitted with a sigh, trying to hold back any other unpleasant thought to linger further from there. “Since I know the guy she is interested in, she wanted an ally to trust and rely on, and I accepted her request.”

“ That’s just plain dumb. Why would you even want to do that?” She pressed on with some indignation. “You wouldn’t gain anything out of it-”

“ Actually, we agreed to help each other with our romantic issues. I help her with that and she helps me find a girlfriend,” I interrupted with some insistence. “I’m not really making it freely.”

“ And how is your part faring right now? Have you made any progress yet?”

“ Kind of?” I half-answered, still unsure if I was making ‘progress’ right now.

“ I’m half tempted to call you out on this very situation. I think I can see that you’re heads over heels with that ‘happy girl’,” Angel said, my posture tensed up at her words, but she wasn’t done yet. “But I think there is more to that. Maybe I’m wrong about you being infatuated with her, or maybe you’re just delusional about it.”

“ I’m just a friend to her.”

“ But you wouldn’t mind meaning more to her,” The Bunny rebuked calmly, taking a moment to sigh before standing up. “The color has dried up. And you should start going before you end up turning late.”

I blinked at this unexpected attempt to conclude the discussion. I tried to protect, but her hand quickly reached for my mouth as I stood up and took a step towards her.

“ We will talk later. I think we will have plenty of occasions to share more meaningful conversations,” Angel continued with a small smile. “I find your plight interesting. Mind you, I find no amusement in gossip and rumors, but I do find the occasional story like yours to be endearing to see unfold. If you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate calling. You have my phone number, and I will be available mostly after the lectures.”

This very conclusion felt… confusing. It was odd, strange and- and I was unsure what to make out of it. Was she offering help, or was she just trying to milk as much entertainment she could out of this very situation?

I hadn’t admitted to any of her accusations, yet I hadn’t actually replied to any of those. Silence was tacit agreement for many, and I could see the Prime make use of that to win any debate I could make against these thoughts.

“ Why?” I ended up asking. There were many questions storming my mind, but those all boiled down into that simple but complicated mess of a word.

She blinked, delivering a sigh before giving a proper answer.

“ Because I want to. I want to see how this goes on, how will you deal with it? Will you be rewarded, or will you not?” She pinched at my cheek, then patted it. “Now go, I really need some time alone right now.”

I gave her a confused glance at these last words, but I ultimately was forced to nod and comply with her request. Once I was done putting on my shirt, I reached for the door, closing it behind me with a soft noise.

Sighing at this confusing predicament, I continued pondering over it up until I reached the dorm-room. Distracted by my thoughts, I entered inside without paying much attention to my surroundings and… soon I found myself swarmed by a certain Gazelle and Cat, both teaming up to try and pestering me up with questions related to how the body-painting session had gone.

_** At least the day was mostly done for… ** _

\----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d--------

** ~Change of POV~ **

Prism City was… a dreadful hive of Primes and Humans. A hideous creation that represented everything that her kind hated the worst about the ‘winning side’ of the war. She had heard the tales about the happiness and joy filling the heart of those born after the alliance had melted into a full-fledged cultural union.

…

What a squalid thought, to see two kinds of parasites enjoying each other's company so closely. It almost made her belch… but she couldn’t let ‘childish ideas’ damage her way of success.

The elders had seen fit to give her the most glorious of missions. Something born from the luck favoring her and those that had been born and grown to adore the deeds of the magnanimous emperor that once wanted to dominate the galaxy.

Ifera was one of the youngest members of the newest generation of Narakhan warriors, her tribe having long favored her ascension to a higher rank because of her devotion and her undying loyalty to the one true God that once roamed the universe.

A simple Coyote with long dark-blue hair, her dark marks were well-spread over her left arm and the left side of her face. A mask and some proper cloth from her dark-violet dress served to cover the tale-telling signs of her affiliations, thus neutralizing the chances of getting discovered by any Knights defending her targets.

And while her prodigious mind and skill with daggers had proved to many of the leaders that she was worthy of being granted a higher rank, they had still decided to send her in this arduous quest within the heart of the newer continent. Yet she couldn’t whine about the difficulty, as she knew that the rewards were all worth it and much more.

She was shocked, no- she was giddy at the fact that she was bestowed with the chance of capturing the daughter of Love, and the son of Bravery and Light. The second target was the bigger treat, and a must to capture considering the circumstances behind his upbringing.

With the fact that he was the best possible source of information over who was meant to become the next Queen, Ifera had to at least try and capture the young man before he had the chance of getting a proper squad of Knights to defend him and his little friends.

Almost groaning at the mere thought that someone would actually go as far as befriending the children of those that were the puppets to the fake Dragon Gods, the Coyote tried attaining a peaceful posture as she quietly continued to sit alone in that mostly deserted park. The place was just pleasant enough to allow her to find enough serenity to corroborate a decent plan to kidnap the two individuals.

Prism Uni wasn’t that far from where she was, yet there wasn’t any rush to see the completion of this mission. Right now nobody knew about her presence here, and if she ended up pushing her luck by trying with a quick, badly-pondered attempt, the Narakhan knew that it would only see things get more complicated than she needed those to be.

She needed to focus and make a grandiose plan. She needed to make sure that there was accurate attention to every detail, even the most insignificant of those and… she needed to see what kind of people the Crests’ spawns were.

What they liked, what they despised, their loved ones and… their flaws. The Coyote needed everything that could help her with her success, and then things would turn properly in her favor.

The council of elders had granted her plenty of resources, from money to underground informants that pended to her orders. This was going to be the greatest mission ever funded since the end of the war.

It was a grand honor to have been chosen to head this important task, and the Narakhan was ready to go through with it and make sure that there were no issues between her and the completion of such a monumental victory.

Her happy musings came to an end when she noticed a small rubber ball rolling quietly right by her bench, her stare turning to the simple toy as curiosity swelled at the unexpected arrival. Yet her surprise turned in tension when her ears caught some footsteps approaching her.

Two children, both Golden Retriever Primes. They seemed to be twins. Brother and sister. They paused for a moment when they finally got sight of where their ball had gone, the boy behind in front while his sibling hid behind his frame, still peeking over his shoulder to look at Ifera.

The Narakhan frowned at the standoff, feeling particularly annoyed by the fact that they were interrupting her happy thoughts of bringing back the legitimate ruler of the galaxy and killing all the Crests.

Should she make these two examples of her wrath? Taint the green hill with red? It would just be proper Narakhan’s custom to return hatred with hatred. But… considering that her current mission depended on her anonymity early on, Ifera was legitimately concerned over the opportunity of messing things up because she couldn’t muster up some good act to keep the two from pestering her.

“ Take the ball and leave,” The young woman ultimately muttered, staring away as to not get herself irked by the two disgusting brats. She didn’t need to deal with this, not when her life was gaining even more meaning and purpose. She was ascending to a degree well beyond what a normal Narakhan should expect and-

“ Why are you all alone here, miss?”

…

Still with her mask on, Ifera turned to stare at the girl, now standing distant from her a couple of meters, as she seemed to be waiting for some answers to that sudden question. Her brother had gone to slowly pick up the ball and was now standing beside his sibling, giving the woman the same curious look.

“ I was minding my own business, like you two should,” The Narakhan replied coldly, trying to convey her chilling glare through the full-face mask.

Sadly, her hopes of being left alone were dashed away when the young boy frowned.

“ But… you weren’t doing anything,” He commented calmly.

“ I was trying to rest.”

The quick rebuttal was met with wide eyes as both looked surprised and embarrassed by the situation.

“ I-We’re sorry then, Miss. We didn’t mean to disturb you,” The girl apologized quickly, while her brother bowed his head a little.

“ W-We will go back playing Basketball then.”

But as the two prepared to retreat back to the field to play a little more at their games, the Narakhan stood up and silently stared at them. The sudden development was enough to draw both children to a pause, both keeping their wide eyes onto the now scary woman.

“ While I appreciate your humble apologies… I find myself willing to ask you a simple but important question.”

She leaned a little towards the two.

“ What is this... ‘Basketball’?”

Minutes later, Ifera found herself staring at the strange contraption of glass, metal and rubber standing a couple of meters above the ground. Surprisingly enough, both Primes proved to be quite cultured over this curious subject, highlighting the true nature of this deceptive play.

They had been trying their best to get a score out of the high target, yet none possessed the might to throw the ball high enough to reach the precise spot which would dignify a ‘point’. It wasn’t the full-fledged game, the Coyote discovered while the two continued to talk alternating their speeches, and that this was a fraction of what the true play was.

But even this little task looked fairly difficult for the two and, feeling the need to finally ‘return the kindness’ by ruining their silly game with her own superior skills. Being offered the ball, the thing that was supposed to go through the hole to ‘score’, Ifera took a few moments to calculate the proper strength and height which the ball was supposed to have to gain a quick victory to her.

It was within her grasp. It was her destiny to be victorious after all.

So she crouched a little, mustering some strength in her legs and… she threw the ball. Her gloating smirk, already building up at the thought of having shredded to the ground her opponents waned the moment the ball was deflected by the metallic ring. Her red eyes trailed down to the rolling ball, and muted confusion replaced her sureness.

A couple of seconds passed, enough to see the ball recovered and given once more to her hold. She could feel that she had to put more strength, the ring had been too fierce, enough to repel her majestic shot.

So when the woman threw a more powerful hit towards the dastardly ring, her hopes of having found the solution to this childish dilemma soon were crushed when the ball pushed against the ring, the ring pushed back. Brutally and unforgivingly so.

The ball returned back to the sender, the power still there and catching the Narakhan by surprise as it slammed squarely on her mask. She recoiled a little, her attention faltering momentarily before she actually started to realize what had just happened.

“ Miss, you should throw the ball to go through the ring- not against it-” The female Prime tried to advise, but Ifera only perceived it as a reason to try with even more vigor. A child wouldn’t ruin her good mood because of this blasted game.

“ I-I know!” She said, her stutter induced by the leftover of that unexpected retaliation from the inanimate target. This time her mind was meaning it, with her brain having finally realized through unknown means that the ball had to go through the ring, not to slam into it.

This time the shot seemed to come close to score as the ball moved around the ring and… fell off to the ground. A scowl slowly replaced her smile. Now, now there was a reason to see how this happy day was going to be ruined for her.

Without wasting more time lingering on the newest failure, the Coyote prepared for her next attempt. Soon time started to fly away as the remaining few hours of the afternoon went by and those were spent in getting that little ball through the cheeky ring. The young woman could feel aggravated by the close calls, knowing that it was all a trickery to distract her from her real duties, yet the activity had slowly occupied her mind and was now driving her to see it accomplished.

Hours passed and then, as the moon was up in the sky and the children had long left the park to return back home, Ifera started with wide eyes and trembling body at the ring as the ball  _ finally  _ fell through it. It was possible, her success was there for her to see and… she could feel excitement at the results achieved.

This- This meant a lot. She had just done something new and accomplished it in such a little span of time. It was something that sharpened her skill to throw things, to properly improve her capacity in using long-range weaponry.

Yes. She needed to continue. Her mind and fate demanded it!

Without questioning much about the safety of persisting through the activity well beyond midnight, the Narakhan continued with her exercises, knowing to have found a new training task to add to her daily sessions.

_** And from there, the world shall bow before the Emperor and the one that bravely brought him back! Yes, she could see it happening! ** _

\---------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d--------

**AN**

**We got the bad gu- Girl. The evil-doer.**

_**She doesn’t seem to know how the world truly works.** _

**Things tend to be strange in isolated tribes.**

_**But… she seems fairly naive.** _

**So was Minos, but then he became all smart and wise.**

_**Centuries worth of pranking him into the right path. You may thank me now.** _

**Maybe.**

_**Well, at least I’m not the one writing a silly villain.** _

**She’s trying!**


	9. Family Matters (1)

**Chapter 9: Family Matters (1)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

It was Sunday morning, and Hope was feeling incredibly excited for the opportunities today would offer her.

There were a myriad of plans she could make use of, all hovering over the small steps needed to press Shin into recognizing her intentions. All without sounding… pushy.

The Gazelle had long embraced the idea of being moderated with her affections, all for the sake of not messing up her current situation. Shin considered the girl a trusted friend, a pillar of light that was there to help him in case of need.

Which was good, considering how difficult it had been to arrive at this very point. But it was also bad, as it also put a limitation in her capacity to act from this point onward.

And this is why, once she had felt ready for what was going to be a big day, Hope had gone to quickly search for the one that was supposed to offer her extra insight over her romantic problems.

Frankie was surprised when he found the girl standing in front of the door when he went to open it up. From what she remembered from the last conversations with the human yesterday, the guy had planned to have a quick walk around the campus before doing anything substantial. Shin was still busy inside the bathroom, while Miles was happily enjoying more hours of rest before facing the ordeal of the homework for Monday.

The human didn’t even have the time to greet her before the Gazelle swiftly moved to pull him away from the doorstep. Surprise kept him quiet as the girl took the lead by marching both of them away from the dorm rooms, and right to a ‘safer place’ where she wanted a good discussion away from privy ears.

She needed some planning done, and she needed the human for that.

“Okay,” Frankie hummed, finally drowning away the last bits of his confusion. “What’s with the rush and- why are you looking at me like that?”

Hope sighed. “It’s Sunday. I believe I’ve told you already that I wanted to make some meaningful steps with Shin today.”

“Yeah, but… I thought that you already had something ready,” The young man commented back. “I mean, you were quite sure about it yesterday.”

“I thought so at first - but then I spent more time thinking about it before going to sleep and...” She sighed again, this time her shoulders sagging in a moment of self-disappointment. “I don’t think it would work- which is why now I need your input on some ideas I got.”

“But why?” He pressed on slowly and lacking enough certainty over the topic, only received a huff from the Prime.

“We’re together in this, remember? Plus a different perspective might help me realize if there are any issues with those,” Hope rebuked quickly and calmly.

Shrugging at the request, Frankie conceded to her points as they walked up to a pair of chairs that had been there.

“First idea: I was thinking about asking for more private tutoring,” The Gazelle started to list up her possible plans. “I really have some issues with the Last Age of Old Earth, but for it to be private it would need for you and Miles to-”

“We can be out of the room only after lunch. I don’t think there’s a good enough reason to avoid Shin’s suspicions over something more than that,” The human interjected calmly, his assurance offering Hope some relief. Still, he wasn’t done yet. “But, that would only work after lunch, which leaves plenty of time before that to do much more than that.”

She frowned. “I thought you said that I shouldn’t rush things.”

“And that still stands as a main rule, but that doesn’t mean you can try with more subtle stuff,” Frankie agreed with a small smile. “The weekends are golden days to try and deepen any bonds, especially the one you share with Shin.”

“You mean that-”

“Since you’re close friends already, I don’t see why he would refuse hanging out with you,” He continued, ignoring the girl’s surprised tone. “Also, he doesn’t have anything planned for today except for some study sessions. On that very note, while he might be free during this specific weekend, I suggest that you check with me to see if he’s free or not to consider.”

Her eyes widened in realization of that very notion, her head offering a distracted nod as her mind wandered away for a little moment.

Shin was free for the entire day, and he wouldn’t shy away from a friendly date set around Prism city. Of course, the main purpose of such a ‘date’ was to get a ‘proper layout of the place’ without having the pressure of turning out late for lectures.

Oh my, she could already see plenty of opportunities that could develop from there. Visiting a nearby restaurant, spending an hour or two by one of the many parks in there and… maybe resting by the shade of some trees.

She sighed happily at that very thought, yet her fantasy collapsed at the mere sound of someone snorting in clear amusement at her current expression. She blinked, her green eyes swiftly finding the perpetrator of such a ‘heinous’ deed in the form of the very individual she had put so much trust into.

Frankie’s smile mirthfully twitched on his face, drawing a degree of entertainment from her current look that just made it difficult to reply to. So Hope drew her arms crossed and beneath her bosom, a faux pout appearing on her lovely visage.

“Jerk.”

Another snort, but the young man seemed to finally wake up from his staring.

“Sorry Hope, I didn’t mean to look like a prick by- Seriously, I bet you know that you look cute when you make that kind of face.”

...What?

Her jaws dropped a little. “You- You’re kidding. I mean, sure this isn’t the first time that I react like this… but cute? Really?”

“I mean, you looked so happy back there with whatever you were thinking about and… yeah, that’s it,” He replied with a note of slight uneasiness. “Look, I’m sorry.”

“Oh no, buster!” She exclaimed with renewed curiosity. “We’re not done yet- In fact, why don’t we talk about what you plan to do about Vixy today?”

The human blinked at that sudden counterattack, but he seemed to be prepared well enough for it by the lack of major distress at the topic.

“Tiggs mentioned that Vixy was planning for a card game after lunch and that they were looking for players- nothing too strange, just a few hours of time spent together and… that’s it.”

“I can say there’s more to that,” The Gazelle rebuked giddily, a bright grin shining from her lips. “Come on, tell me! Is there going to be alcohol? Maybe it’s a strip-poker session too-”

“There’s just alcohol,” The young man quickly muttered, looking rather flustered at her teasing as she leaned closer to him. “Nothing else.”

_My, oh my~ How ‘adorable’ he looks like when he’s this nervous~._

“Are you sure about that~?” She giggled, feeling quite amused by how easily she was going through his shell. “I bet you wanted it to be more~.”

It was exhilarating. This was the first time she found herself in such a circumstance. To tease someone so shamelessly about something so beautiful like love. Her mother had told her so much about it, and how important it is to help people experience it.

She had thought that the gratification of such good deeds would only make the Crest of Love this endeared by the chance of helping young people with their love problems… but right now, Hope’s entire focus was directed not at herself, but at the rather interesting human that was currently facing her own dilemma.

So handsome, so kind and… he looked quite fragile. It would be _so easy for her to just tickle him around until he accepted the fact he needed to-_

“Y-Your phone.”

His voice, still displaying high amounts of awkwardness brought her out of her little reverie. She blinked, her mind snapping out of what had felt like a daydream.

“W-What?” Hope muttered, only to realize that her phone’s tune was now playing by her pants’ pockets, slightly muffled by the place it had been left. “Oh- One moment.”

She leaned back, quickly scooping out the device and bringing it up in front of her. It was a video-call… from home.

Which would mean, considering the timing and the fact that only one person from there had been calling her through the home’s communication device, that her mother was calling her and- Her eyes widened again.

‘Oh Gods, mom’s calling!’

Panic swelled at the development, her lips twitching nervously as the Prime looked back at Frankie, the young man still recoiling nervously from the previous teasing.

“It’s… it’s my mother,” The girl ultimately muttered, drawing a surprised look from the human. “Don’t… make any strange comments. Don’t even mention what pact we have over our romantic interests… and that’s it. Don’t be a dummy.”

With him giving a quick nod, Hope braced for what was going to be quite the awkward situation to go through.

The young woman started the call, and was indeed bestowed with the patient look pleasantly put on her mother’s face.

The older Gazelle had her pink eyes brimming with undeniable kindness and happiness, while her beautiful visage made the entire sight one could never be tired of.

Grace Ravenhurst, the Crest of Love, smiled as she noticed her daughter’s nervous disposition.

“Sweetie, good morning.”

“Hi mom,” The girl mentioned with a tense tone. “Good morning to you too.”

A brief giggle. “I suppose you were busy. You seem quite… oh?”

Hope held back a groan as she saw his mother quickly looking at the quiet young man sitting beside her. Frankie offered a surprised but moderated look, keeping silent as the Crest of Love addressed him.

“And I suppose you’re… Frankie Parker?” The kind lady finally continued, her smile widening as the young man nodded at her query. “Hope mentioned your situation. How are you doing, dear?”

Just like she would usually do, the older Gazelle was behaving motherly with everyone her daughter’s ages. Something that had been particularly awkward to endure when friends would come to her home for study group sessions and… the young man barely seemed surprised by this.

Actually, he looked fine with it.

“It’s been a little difficult at first, but I made a couple of good friends already,” He answered calmly. “In fact, I think things have been going better than I thought.”

“That’s good to know,” Grace muttered with a relieved tone. “I assume you didn’t have any major issues over the current circumstances. Hope didn’t say much about it, but she did mention that you were fitting well at Prism.”

“I expected something like that myself, but up until now, things had been… fairly calm.”

“Still, I’m happy to know that everything is going well for both you and your friends,” The woman continued, her smile twitching for a moment in a brief hint of amusement. “In fact, I’ve heard that Shin is adapting well to his whereabouts.”

“H-He’s been doing well. He’s already among the best in his classes,” Hope curtly added.

“But what about friends? You still haven’t told me if he made some already or not,” The Crest of Love pressed on. “In fact, I’ve received some questions from Bengala about this very matter and he sounded quite insistent.”

Now, that was quite the interesting discovery. So Shin’s father was actually keeping track of him after what had happened between the blond and his mother? Not a major surprise, but this very detail suggested that the man might make a visit very soon considering how close he was to his son.

Before Hope had the chance of saying anything about it, it was the human that decided to speak up.

“Mrs. Ravenhurst, did Hope tell you that Shin and I are roommates?” Frankie inquired quietly.

The older Prime looked slightly surprised by this discovery, and shook her head at this novelty.

“Not truly, no,” Grace admitted quickly, giving a quick and momentary curious glance at her daughter about this. “So you can tell me a little more about how he’s faring socially-wise?”

The young Gazelle wanted to jump in and stop this from unfolding, knowing that offering too many details to her mother would just pique her interest even more. But then again, as she pondered about it, the girl couldn’t exactly say that Frankie didn’t know how to speak with people in this particular case.

So she waited… and prayed that he really knew what he was going to say without messing things up.

“I would say that he’s been a little uneasy over the stares he got from some other students. Nothing beyond mere staring had happened, but I’m helping him whenever possible,” The young man answered smoothly. “Right now he can count as friends Hope, me and Miles-”

“The... silly Cat?” The woman interrupted with a fascinated tone. Hope almost facepalmed at the fact she had told so much to her mother and… now things were just so complicated.

Maybe she shouldn’t have answered the phone. Maybe she should’ve feinted a simple case of oversleeping. The small smile twitching by Frankie’s lips suggested that the curious way she had addressed the lazy student had struck a mirthful note in his mind.

“I think ‘silly’ is an understatement, but yes, he can be quite ‘silly’,” The human commented happily. “Still, I can say with certainty that Shin is enjoying his stay here.”

“I will hold you by your word then when I speak to his father,” Grace said while nodding. “He’s rather worried that Shin wouldn’t have found much friendliness there at Prism, but I guess you’re good friends from the way you’re talking about him.”

The young man nodded at that, yet he sported a minor frown shortly after. “Also, if it isn’t too private, I would like to ask about… his parents.”

Hope felt surprised at this sudden twist, yet her mother barely looked fazed by this request.

“You were told about the discussion he had with his mother. That topic… I would normally keep myself from offering too many details about it, considering it’s between a mother and his child. It’s family matters,” The Crest of Love described carefully. “Still, can I ask why you would want to know more about it?”

That very question burned within Hope’s mind, but the girl restrained herself from inquiring about it too since the query had been advanced by her mother. Frankie offered a calm sigh before sporting a serious look on his face.

“While Shin’s been enjoying his stay here, I can’t help but… think that he is expecting something bad to happen,” The young man confessed quietly. “It’s odd but- I can see that he’s tense all the time, but I’m so certain it’s not about school and-”

“You think it’s related to what happened back to his home.”

The quick interruption from the older Gazelle got a quick nod out of the human.

Grace sighed. “You’re… correct. I’ve heard what had happened from Shin’s father, but I can assure you the situation isn’t as terrible as it might seem. In fact, you might be able to catch more from the man when he comes around to visit.”

“He’s visiting soon?” Frankie blurted out in a brief bout of surprise.

“I know for a fact he would check on Shin to make sure everything is truly fine there,” The Crest of Love added. “Which is why I will not offer anything else other than this. As I’ve said, it’s something private for Shin’s family and only someone that is part of it can tell you more if they feel like it.”

There wasn’t much to do about except to wait for Bengala to pass by. The man was jovial most of the time, but things could be different because of the subject itself.

The conversation didn’t last any longer, especially because Joy had just returned from School with dad and… Hope didn’t want to have her father make any overprotective statements against the ‘clueless and innocent’ young man.

It was a miracle that the discussion had kept a serious line instead of straying towards awkward attempts to bring up her crush for the White Tiger.

The phone call ended there, and Hope felt rather drained suddenly when she returned the device to her pants’ pocket. The situation had been pretty heavy, and she wasn’t ready yet to ponder about these specific topics.

Still, despite her unwillingness to continue that conversation with the human, she still regarded him with a few more words.

“You know, I feel like I should be thanking you for what you’re doing for Shin,” The Gazelle admitted softly. “And I’m not talking about the whole romantic attempt, but the fact that you’re helping him up with the social issues.”

The human shrugged. “Can I ask you to not do that? I… I appreciate the words, but I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”

Always the kind guy, the young woman mused tiredly. Still, her smile widened a little bit at that reminder of what kind of individual that the Prime was talking to. They both stood up from their chairs, with the young man reminding her that she was wasting time in silence when she had to go through with her plans for today.

Just as the two prepared to leave, Hope decided to make a simple move. Frankie tensed up a bit as she went for a quick hug.

“Good luck with your hang out,” She mirthfully muttered.

He smiled shyly. “Same. For your date.”

They shared a warm smile together and then… they went for their respective ways.

_**And now, to find a certain lovely bookworm and ‘convince’ him to go around town with her.** _

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**~Frankie’s POV~**

I should’ve expected things to be more complicated than a mere poker game with Tiggs and Vixy when the former had informed me about the ‘card game’ session. Especially when the Fox Prime had talked about dices when I saw her yesterday.

I also should’ve expected that when she had also mentioned that when there would’ve been good drinks to enchant the fun time, she was actually referring to soda drinks.

So here I was, playing a crazy game of Monopoly instead of going through the dramatic moments only a poker match would offer. Taking a few sips from my orange juice, I tried my best to ignore the gawking unfolding beside me.

This ‘fight’ wasn’t as easy as it sounded like from a general depiction, since I was paired with a completely distracted ally that outright sabotaged our chances of winning.

Miles was so lost in the present, or rather, in his current efforts of trying to stare up at Tiggs’ cleavage, that he made horrible moves in the process. The Cat Prime was being an idiot at this point to believe that his ogling had gone unnoticed, especially when it was clear from the Tiger Prime’s smug smirk that it had been her intention to show him this much of her modesty.

All for the sake of making things harder for me ,as I was having trouble dealing with Vixy’s brutal understanding of the game. She was investing a lot in the various activities in important parts of the board and… I was having issues with the fact that Miles was spending lots of our shared cash on investing in cheap properties.

My glaring wasn’t making much of an impact compared to the power of cleavages, and I was left in a state of slow-paced defeat because of this issue.

Half of the board was now owned by the ‘Cheerleaders Team’ while we only had three cards of different colors and a couple of ‘Hundred’ pieces as our treasury.

This… this just wasn’t a fun game anymore. Where was the sportsmanship? Where were the little moments of honor- and why was I restraining myself from manhandling the distracted moron!?

I sighed, leaning back on my beanbag. “We can’t win this.”

“What…. a shame.”

Yep, Miles was brain dead as of now. But maybe- just maybe, there was something I could do about this.

“I hope you understand that I will find your shampoos and burn those to ashes,” I commented again, finally getting a reaction out of the receiver. A massive dead glare mostly ignored on my part.

“It’s just a game, why would you be so invested in it?”

“Other than the fact that there’s a bet about it?” I reminded him through rhetorical means. “Or maybe because it is a dare that will be imposed on us.”

“It couldn’t be that bad-”

“Oh, it will,” Vixy interrupted giddily. “In fact, I think Tiggs had plans for you, Miles.”

The development got a curious look out of the Cat Prime as he stared up at Traci. “Really?”

She nodded happily. “I was thinking of having you try violet hair like me and-”

The lovely girl didn’t have a chance to finish that Miles was pulling and whining at my arm.

“We need to win- you can’t let us lose!”

I almost chuckled, but then again, I was going to face the dare too if I had lost. And I wasn’t sure about what I was supposed to do with how screwed we were already. The board and the money were against us, and I couldn’t see any way to pull through that difficult situation.

Which meant that… I had to try and cancel the game somehow.

What would work well with both girls in trying to get them to not continue with this match on Monopoly?

Truly a troublesome question, but one with an answer I easily found after some moments of quiet introspection. This one was just too enticing to be refused by both and… it was the only way out.

“What about a game of Truth of Dare?” I blurted out in a moment of incredible nervousness. “It’s clear we’ve lost- but we could lessen a little bit the Dares so that we can play to it.”

“But we’re winning, why should we back away from clear victory?” Vixy inquired, but still appeared interested by the proposal.

“Well, we get to deal with some dares early on, and then the rest is decided through bottle-spin.”

“I like where things are going,” Miles muttered quietly, his elbow calmly tapping at my arm.

“Do I still get to color Miles’ hair violet?” Tiggs asked with a hopeful tone, making the Cat Prime flinch at the mere thought of such a thing happening.

“ _And now I regret it._ ”

I gave a small smile. “I was thinking about something that doesn’t go… sexual. We set up some limits and-”

“Kisses are permitted,” Vixy rebuked quickly. “But we can’t remove any clothes.”

It was still awkward, but I could get behind that line of thought, and so I nodded. Miles looked grateful, and also interested in the whole ‘Kiss’ situation as the board was set aside and an empty water bottle was brought between the four of us.

“So, there’s still the dares for you two boys,” The Fox Prime reminded before anyone had the chance to spin the bottle. “Do you have any idea we could use, Traci?”

The Tiger smiled eagerly at the chance of doing something at us, especially at me from the way she was looking at me.

“I want Frankie to… show off his muscles.”

Vixy frowned. “What?”

“He has some!” The girl exclaimed truthfully. “I could feel them through hugs and… I really want to see ‘em!”

I gulped nervously at the request, and soon I found myself stared by the rest of the room’s occupants. There wasn’t a way out of that situation and… I pulled my shirt above my head when-

_Tiggs whistled and giggled._

“See! I told you that he had a toned bod!”

Miles was frowning at the sight, slightly confused by the athletic frame I had while… Vixy was staring at my chest with her head nodding.

“You trained properly, I can see that your muscles have developed well and...” She blinked. Her eyes widened at the realization that she had been staring at my naked chest for a long time, and a blush exploded on her face. “A-And I think you should put your shirt back on.”

“Maybe next time I can dare him to stay shirtless,” The big girl thought out loud, making me shiver for a moment.

I dreaded that very possibility, but now that I was done with that issue, it was Miles’ turn to suffer a dare.

“And for Mr. Flirt, I was thinking that… he should wear something on his hair,” The vixen mentioned as she stared at the white locks. “What about a… pink bow?”

The resulting situation was that Miles now had quite the stylish headpiece matching with his murderous glaring and ‘dead inside’ state of mind. And yes, I did ask for a picture before the game started.

The bottle was spun by Vixy, with the girl claiming the first turn. The spinning lasted up until… the bottle pointed right up at me.

“Truth or dare, _foolish_ human?”

I snorted in amusement at her faux arrogant voice. “Truth.”

She nodded and… grinned. “Do you like it when Traci purrs during her hugs?”

...Oh. So that’s how things are going to be?

“Yes,” I admitted without hesitation. “Her hugs are the nicest for sure. And the purring is…”

“Just top notch, I know,” Vixy ended that sentence for me, and we both shared a mutual agreement over the amazing quality of the Tiger’s embraces.

Tiggs actually blushed at the double compliment, and her wide smile confirmed that she was enjoying all of this attention.

Next up was… Miles. The Cat Prime was quiet as the bottle spun around and… stopped right towards the leader of the cheerleaders. A smile adorned his face, but before he could ask the simple question, the girl spoke up.

“Truth.”

A grimace adorned his face, but he didn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

“Does the carpet match the drapes?”

I narrowed my eyes at the smug and lewd inquiry, but Vixy didn’t seem particularly annoyed by it. In fact, she smiled back with a smug look.

“No.”

Miles’ jaws dropped at the quick reply and I tensed up at the escalation, knowing perfectly that the pace slowly picked up as we continued going through the ‘simple game’.

It was Tiggs’ turn and she spun the bottle. It landed on me again.

She smiled and I sighed. “I suppose I will go with Dare.”

“I want you to… stand up and hug me.”

I frowned at the demand, but slowly complied to it as I approached the still sitting Traci and… started the embrace. She stood up, a happy grin adorning her face as she happily accepted the hug and we stood there for a couple of seconds.

“You know you don’t need to Dare me for a hug,” I reminded her quietly, getting a sigh in return.

“I just forgot to ask earlier today. And I really need a hug.”

_Dammit, she’s slowly turning into my kryptonite._

Once we were done with the embrace, I found myself sitting back to my previous seat and… it was my turn to spin.

The bottle rolled once more, but this time the one that was selected was…

I stared up at my current target, and she looked incredibly interested by what I had in mind to do. She hesitated from saying what she wanted to do with the usual question… but she decided to take a risk to see what I had in mind for her.

“Dare,” Vixy said with a convinced tone and… I thought about what I was supposed to do with her.

I wasn’t certainly going to try a crass approach like the one that Miles did and… I decided for something fairly tame.

“I want a normal hug.”

There was silence, and the Vixen looked fairly surprised by my decision. Tiggs chuckled at my words while Miles shook his head at my ‘damn luck’.

The girl and I both stood up as we both approached and… we engaged in a pretty awkward hug. Differently from Tiger Prime’ special ones, this one wasn’t as soft as hers. With the Fox Prime being shorter than I was, her head was safely nestled by my shoulder while I wrapped my arms around her upper waist.

I waited for a moment, kind of surprised that it felt particularly despite not being as cuddly and easygoing as Traci’s own ones. It just reminded me of… the one Hope gave me before leaving for her date with Shin, except that it was lasting a little longer and…

The hug ended silently, but I noticed a little blush by Vixy’s face as we both returned to our respective seats.

The entire game continued for a solid three hours, with the Dares and the Truth not going further than the ‘limits’ fixed by the first few turns. Miles knew that he wasn’t going to get something more than some more peeking during the Dares and some interesting answers to perverted questions, but he still had fun like the rest of the people there.

But just as we proceeded to bid farewells to the girls as to return back to our dorm room, Vixy decided to imitate Tiggs in her own mannerism just for once and give me another hug while offering a quick ‘bye’.

I was confused, incredibly distracted and blushing immensely at what just had happened.

_**If only I had been aware that this was just a sign of something more than a mere hug.** _

\--------------------d-d-d-d------------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d-----------

**AN**

**And thus the fun time that is college begins.**

_**I wonder who will start… doing the fun dance early on.** _

**Who knows? Also… Lemons. There are plans about it.**

_**Just like there are plans about you being thrown in Paraiso, Bukharin.** _

**I’m beset by regrets. But this one? I will probably-**

_**Love it?** _

**I was saying dislike, but I guess you’re going to keep up with the promises- no throwing me in crazy stuff.**

_**Yep! But still, things will be fun. Think that I spoke with Messiah and-** _

**(To be continued… in BaTB2?!)**


	10. Family Matters (2)

**Chapter 10: Family Matters (2)**

**Beta-reader: Ant0nius**

The loud buzzing coming from the nearby streets was a quick reminder on why she had long opted staying away from big cities’ affairs.

The comfy mattress of the queen-sized bed and the warmth exuded by the wooden floor didn’t help in soothing her own uneasiness at being within a large urban region like the one here in the Newer Continent.

But perhaps, it was a long overdue visit, just like her husband had told her.

So much… conflict was unfolding inside her head.

Sitting with her legs crossing by the bed, Kate Aryoko pondered over the situation at hand… and she was having a hard time keeping herself from falling into a wave of nervousness that had wrapped around her since she left the airplane.

The blonde sighed, uncertainty painting her face while her orange eyes barely glinted at the turmoil festering from within her core.

Things were changing… quickly. The balance was starting to shift, and this time, the causes to this instability weren’t clear to the High Prime.

Kate had been one of the few Crests to perceive it. Her deep connection with the Light enabled her senses to notice that something was wrong with the status quo.

But she had rightfully kept herself from acting on her own just like she had in the past. Many of her mistakes were done out of overconfidence… and misunderstanding.

Patience had been refined and sharpened by peaceful understanding of the current times. The time of War had long passed, but compared to her younger and ‘naiver’ self, she couldn’t just regain a proper zenith of her emotions.

Peace through meditation was no longer an option, and her only concerns as of now were to the present. And to her children’s future.

Another sigh, this time her posture lessening to a more ‘proper’ sitting position. A tired look replaced her impassive one, but this wasn’t due to a need for rest.

She was awake, and still capable of going through a couple more hours of other affairs before seeking quiet sleep. The issue stemmed from something she just couldn’t find any solution to.

And the main theme to it was her first child.

Shin was… gifted. Kate wasn’t an expert in the modern world’s understanding of the intelligence her son had been bestowed with, but it would be silly to say that the woman hadn’t expected him to yearn for more than just the tranquil life back at home.

Her child was a fast learner, and tremendously curious. And yet, he was also lonely.

It had been one of the issues of living so far from civilization. While this lifestyle had worked well back when it was just her and Bengala, this wasn’t the same when her son and daughter came around.

Curiosity wasn’t a trait unique to Shin. The Crest of Light herself had craved to see more of the world around her.

She had wanted to know if there were people like her. That she wasn’t alone in that large but uncharted land.

She knew that there were so many people around already, but her father had wisely kept her from trying and befriending the locals of the nearby village back home.

Kate thought of that restriction as a punishment when she was still immature, but as she first saw the cruelty of mankind with greedy ways of ambitious clans aiming at her Clan’s sword, a sense of clarity had steeled her understanding beyond the mere ‘feeling’.

Logic was an element required in understanding an entity, may it be a single being or a group of individuals. That’s how she had learned to properly care for mankind, her ‘adoptive’ race. And it was through proper thinking and feeling that she ultimately saw it fit to join the arduous task of defeating the greatest of evildoers.

It was a gruesome deed that took much from her, both in spirit and in the material world. A worthy sacrifice for the sake of everyone’s freedom.

The world had been saved… mostly. Earth was lost because of a futile last attack from the Emperor. One that had been meant to turn their success into a hollow and pyrrhic victory.

It was a horrifying discovery that had everyone’s minds filled with dread and dismay… and only when the Dragon Gods blessed them with Neo-Earth as a reward for their victory over the shadows, did they finally find happiness over the war’s conclusion.

But with peace came a sense of aimlessness for most of the brave warriors that had fought by her side and were now without purpose. Only a few managed to make a healthy recovery from the mental toll suffered in the galaxy-wide war. The rest had to take slower steps in a newer path.

For her… things became a notch more complicated than she had hoped. Maybe it had been delusional on her part to expect her planned burden to just disappear at a mere whim.

Ambar had been right with her serious words, but back then, Kate had barely listened to her. Now, she was stuck with a tragic situation, unsure of how to untangle the mess.

Shin was going to be the bearer of her Crest if something happened, while Hikari was meant to take the greater burden that her mother had so firmly refused.

There was no means for her to change this…

Which infuriated her as she never was much of a believer of prophecies. Even back when she first met Bengala… she had been reluctant to go through with her duties as Crest only because of some ‘destiny’.

One’s destiny should be made by actions, not by words from others.

_**You fell from the Heavens. Like a falling star. That alone told me that your destiny was to do more than get dirty working at the forge.** _

_ And it turned out to be something greater than that of mere metalworking, father. _

But it was still all done by her own choice. That right was hers and hers only.

Shin was... just trying to break free from that cage she unconsciously put him and his sister to live within. She should’ve seen this happening much earlier than now, and maybe, she could’ve avoided the heated exchange she was forced to have with her son.

While her child was soft-spoken most of the time, there were times where his need for independence would spark in brief moments of disagreement. But what happened just before he left home? That had been a sudden blow she hadn’t planned of taking at her heart.

\--------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d------------

“ Okaasan, I wish to leave to study at Prism Uni.”

The house was mostly silent as of that time of the day. With Hikari having gone to the nearby river to fill some buckets with fresh water, only the woman and her oldest child remained in there.

“ We’ve already talked about this, Shin,” Kate reminded him with a sigh. She had been in the middle of finishing a prayer directed to her deceased father, and the sudden intrusion had left her rather irritated but still capable of holding a serene conversation. “And I thought I had told you that I wasn’t open for compromises over the matter.”

The room grew quiet for a moment, and the Crest of Light expected for her eldest child to leave the topic be for the time being.

Bengala had shown some insistence in letting their son go study far away from home, even knowing that Hope was going to be sticking by his side during that long period.

It was too far from home, and he needed to stay home to train and-

“ Okaasan, I don’t want to be disrespectful but-”

“ You’re already doing so by keeping up with this nonsense,” The older Prime interrupted with insistence. “Lunch will be prepared soon, so I hope that you’re done with your exercises by the time food is ready-”

“ Why?”

… “ What?” She asked back, surprised by the swift query.

“ Why can’t I go study there?” Shin elaborated with some insistence. “I don’t want to make comparisons, but Hope is allowed to go there.”

“ She is capable-”

“ And I’m not?” He rebuked with surprise. “Okaasan, you’ve trained me for years. Even father said that I would be able to keep up with a Knight if I put my best effort into doing so.”

Kate sighed. “Your father might train knights, but he wasn’t there to train you and see your progress.”

“ He gave me this assessment after I had sparred with him last time he visited,” The young man argued. “And he said he wasn’t allowing me to go just because you don’t want me to leave.”

…

“ It’s not up to debate,” The Crest ultimately stated. “I can’t just let you go- what about the dangers? What if-”

“ I will be safe. The High Prime-”

“ Will be busy during those few days,” Kate interjected with an unnerved tone. “And I wouldn’t trust her to keep a careful eye over your wellbeing, especially since she would consider you ready enough to not have a knight to keep watch over you.”

…

“ I want to go.”

“ And you have to stay,” The mother replied curtly. “Now please, let me be.”

…

There was a frustrated sigh leaving her son’s lips.

“ Then I will… take my leave.”

She nodded, her attention returning to the little shrine that had been built to remember Shintaro Aryoko’s memory.

Back then, she thought little of her firstborn’s final words- but then she would soon realize how serious he had been about it.

Especially when her daughter couldn’t find him anywhere in the house, and a small note was found in his room, containing his brief apologies to explain his departure cemented her worries.

_**She had pushed too hard, and life had shoved back even harder.** _

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“ We’re back!”

The loud proclamation came right as the door of the hotel room opened and closed prompted Kate to stare at the smiling face owned by her husband. Hikari was beside him, a wide smile encompassing her face as she giggled at her father’s antics.

_ A jester. A strong and handsome one at that. _

Bengala looked giddy as he walked inside the room. He was holding two large bags filled with various clothes and the grin on his face directed at the Cat Prime wasn’t just suggesting that not everything he had brought was meant for himself or their daughter.

“ Dear husband-”

“ I brought you stuff,” He announced eagerly while he settled the bags at the edge of the bed.

She sighed. “I could tell...”

He snorted, quickly taking a seat close to her so that he could steal a big hug. The woman didn’t regret the affection, but she tensed up at the sudden contact.

“ To think that we would be spending time together like this!” The Tiger Prime mirthfully commented. “Heck, I showed Hikari the Arcade and she fell completely in love with that place.”

A thought bubbled up at the curious detail. She had heard about these places where children would go and play some… videogames.

“ Okaasan, it was so nice! There are so many nice children and- it was so fun playing with the pinball!”

What an odd name for a game… but she was glad that her daughter had enjoyed that rare trip around the city. She had thought that the young girl would’ve been having some trouble dealing with the new environment, but her concern seemed to vanish at the big smile on Hikari’s face.

At least someone other than Bengala was enjoying this visit…

“ By the way, should we go and check on Shin after lunch or a bit earlier?” The Crest of Courage inquired suddenly, making Kate sigh at the dilemma.

The first choice would make any discussion she would get with her son quite limited. The other one would make her spend more time talking with the boy… if only to be seen by either Hope or Carmesi’s daughter.

It was quite a surprise learning about this development. To think that someone as prideful as the Fire Crest would’ve allowed her only child to not continue her apprenticeship as a Knight.

“ We will visit once we’re done with lunch. Did you have time to contact Ambar?”

Her husband nodded. “She knows we’re here, and has already dispatched some knights to redouble the patrol around the city. We will be safe while we’re in the capital.”

She returned the nod with one of her own. That was some good news, and enough to lessen her worries to running into some unpleasant encounters with the forces of darkness that still lingered in Neo-Earth.

To think that the cult of Chaos was returning among the Narakhan’s tribes was concerning, but considering the state of dissonance that the majority of tribes had with their past, it was all up to chance itself if this was going to develop into either a serious issue or a short-lived rebellion.

In the end, the two Crests decided to spend the rest of their time in that room talking about what they were supposed to do once they ended up meeting with their son…

But it was more Kate getting some pep talks from her husband, much to the glee of the latter. The Tiger Prime was just immensely happy in getting his wish of spending quality time with his family away from home.

Still, as the two adults continued with their conversation, a certain young girl had carefully opened the door and sneaked out to the near hallway.

With a small backpack she had brought filled with various important objects and resources straddled on her back, and a bright smile and determination driving her to face the immensity of this uncharted territory, Hikari Aryoko was set for quite the interesting adventure to find her elusive Oniisan!

_**And as she departed from the hotel with the small map she was holding in front of her helping her find Prism Uni distracting her from what was unfolding in her proximity, a certain Narakhan assassin had taken notice of the odd girl wandering near the park.** _

\------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d----------------d-d-d-d----------

**~Ifera’s POW~**

This has to be a sign from their Lord. It has to be.

She couldn’t help but notice the absurdity of the situation, but she wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Ifera had waited patiently for a chance to strike, and with the youngest child of the Crest of Light and the Crest of Courage happily wandering around without any knights escorting her. It was just a sight that made her almost salivate at how useful her kidnapping would be.

Plus it was a good way for her pride to recover from what had happened two days prior. This sight had appeared as alluring as it had been when she ended up seeing both ‘Shin Aryoko’ and ‘Hope Ravenhurst’ spending some time together, without anyone keeping a solid guard over them.

It smelled like bait, but she still had moved to make sure she ended up closer to the two. Slow and steady, one step at the time… and she ended up preparing an ambush by an alley they were passing nearby .

With daggers clenched tightly in her hands, the Narakhan was ready to intervene just as the two Primes were passing by and… she was frightened by quite the unexpected development.

While the young woman walking beside him was distracted chatting with him staring in front of them, the White Tiger Prime was  _ looking  _ right at where the Narakhan had set her flawless hideout.

The real fear-inducing element was the powerful green-eyed stare that hit her. It exuded power, it exuded might… it exuded light.

She was forced to look at the unflinching glare silently and completely still as the two wandered away from her planned ambush, leaving her alone with her thoughts of what had happened.

This was a frustrating development to be subjected to, but one that confirmed a suspicion she had held up until now. The child of the Crest of Light was not only capable of perceiving Chaos-related energy, but he was also accustomed to fighting people like her.

It was a novelty that both raised the difficulty of her mission, but also intensified the worries of dealing with more knights in the near future. Hopefully, she would be done by the time the High Prime actually sent more guards over the city.

Still, the fact that the young man had been trained beforehand was bad news for her because that directly translated that immediate confrontations were now crossed out of her plans. But it also helped her noticing this crucial detail before a future ‘successful ambush’ ambush.

While all Clans’ powers were effective against Chaos-based powers, Light was the worst element to deal with, with Fire being the second issue.

This information was still precious enough to make her reluctant to try and press on with that very instance, and her patience was big enough to tank a couple of ‘missed’ opportunities. Ifera wasn’t petty, but she was certainly going to make plenty of plans to make up with her streak of bad luck.

But there was still a problem currently manifested as she continued to trail down the ‘little kitty’ going merrily for that erratic path. While resisting the temptation to groan at her failure was easier considering the elements that led her to be inactive for some time, the same couldn’t be said about the golden chance that had just fallen in her hands.

There was no way that someone as short and young as the child was capable of defending against external threats!

Especially when her objective looked as clueless and unaware as she could.

Jogging calmly and patiently, Ifera knew that she couldn’t just rush at her newest target and hope to avoid any attention from the other people walking within the park. The girl was distracted as she kept looking at that small map of the city, offering the Narakhan the possibility of keeping a close trail of her.

The young woman could almost feel success around the corner. She just needed to be patient but attentive for any hints of a trap.

Because, while the previous situation had lacked any other dangerous element to be wary of, she couldn’t exactly exclude that this one was a more convoluted plan to capture her.

The young Aryoko had to have alerted his parents of what had happened. Or else things would just be stupidly easy for her.

Which is why, instead of rushing for a quick victory, she settled for a slow and careful analysis of her surroundings. Everything seemed to be quite normal, except for some frowns she was getting from people noticing her mask and attire.

Perhaps a disguise would help her avoid that kind of attention. Maybe the creation of a ‘soft-spoken, shy’ Narakhan would allow her to avoid more suspiciousness than she needed to deal with during this important mission.

Just as Ifera continued to ponder over this very notion, her attention was suddenly returned to the young girl as she saw the Prime starting sprinting towards two individuals. Surprise swelled at this unexpected sight, but the assassin proceeded to keep a low profile despite the lack of people in the area.

Her eyes narrowed at the duo, both being students. A Prime and a human.

The filthy earthling was leading, quickly stopping as he took notice of the young teen rushing at them and stopping right in front of them.

But while the Narakhan had no recollection of the dark-furred Cat Prime, she still froze up at the scene as she thought about an ugly possibility behind this interruption. What if those two were Knights? What if the girl had spotted her early on and led her straight to a patrol.

Panic replaced the shock as Ifera quickly realized that the situation had escalated way too quickly and, without wasting time gawking at the circumstances, she dived into the nearby bushes and waited there patiently. She even lowered her Chaotic energy to avoid alerting the trio of her presence as she stared at the scene.

“ Excuse me, can you tell me where Prism Uni is?”

…

These weren’t knights. She had jumped like a frightened cat for nothing and… now she knew that there was a window of opportunity.

_**Ifera just needed to jump at the right moment now...** _

\-------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------

**~Frankie’s POV~**

I blinked in surprise at that sudden question.

Everything had taken a strange turn ever since we were notified that Professor Aken wasn’t going to give a lecture at the planned hours. It was odd for the punctual man to make such a change of plans without warning.

From there on, the situation unfastened into quite the odd circumstances. Starting with Shin and Hope deciding to spare some time together by the library, and ended with Miles coaxing me to go for a walk by the nearby park.

There was no real reason to do so, but from my simple understanding of his mind, I knew it was more of a whim to get away from Prism Uni for some time.

Still, the fact that someone this young and donning such a unique dress like a kimono was currently standing in front of me was already an unexpected sight to be greeted during said talk.

And that she was now inquiring about Prism Uni was more than enough to create plenty of suspicions about why she wanted to go in there specifically.

She was a White Tiger with a Japanese-based set of clothes. Plus, there was just something familiar in her cerulean eyes. But… why?

I blinked, and she blinked back. Oddly enough, she was studying me too while I went on my own studies of her appearance.

“ Frankie,” Miles called with a confused frown plastered on his face. “Is everything alright?”

I blinked again, realizing that I had been staring for some time.

“ Yeah, kind of,” I replied to the fellow student before I returned to look at the younger Prime. “And Prism Uni is just out of the park from ‘that’ entrance and right to the left corner. There will be a large road that will lead to the main gates.

The girl smiled and nodded. “Thank you-”

“ But-” I stopped with a calm voice, prompting the young teen to not march away at the end of my answer. “I wished to know. Do you know Shin Aryoko by any means?”

There was a pause. The girl’s eyes widened and I saw her tensing up at the name.

“ You know Oniisan?”

From what I could remember from my basic understanding of Japanese, that directly translated into ‘Big Brother’. I took a moment to stare in surprise at that as I connected dots about it.

“ You’re Shin’s little sister?” I inquired back, getting a nod from her. “Well, we do know about Shin-”

“ Only know? We’re the guy’s roommates,” Miles quipped with a huff. “But I would’ve thought he would’ve told us that his family was visiting.”

The little girl shook her head at that. “It’s a surprise.”

My eyes widened at that response.

“ Is that so?” I asked, getting another nod in return and… I started wondering about this revelation.

If the young girl was there, then there was a high chance that either her mother, her father, or both were currently in the capital and… the girl was here alone, without adult supervision.

I frowned at this thought. “And can I ask you why you are alone right now?”

She tensed up again, sporting a nervous look but still replying to the query.

“ I… I wanted to surprise Oniichan.”

...Oh. That makes some sense.

“ Your parents weren’t planning on a surprise. You were.”

The girl nodded, but then froze as she realized that she had just confirmed that both her father and mother were there within the city too.

I took a moment to remember some of the words Hope’s mother had brought up in our conversation. All about the situation that drove Shin away from bringing up his family during a normal occurrence.

And they were there now… after just two days Grace had told me that someone would’ve visited sooner than later.

Soon, my mind returned to the discussion and I nodded.

“ We’re not planning to tell Shin about the surprise,” I assured quickly.

“ ...Really?” Miles muttered with a skeptical frown.

“ I mean, maybe we can tell him that his parents are there once… uh, I know that it’s awkward, but I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves.”

“ My name is Hikari,” The young Prime answered eagerly. “Nice to meet you two.”

“ Likewise, Hikari. I’m Frankie Parker, and this is Miles Lionheart,” I replied with a nod.

“ Hello,” The Cat Prime replied coolly.

“ Still, we need to make sure that Shin isn’t busy for the surprise,” I pointed out, carefully bringing up my phone. “And I think I know whom to call.”

Hikari looked surprised by my words, while Miles nodded as he himself knew who I was going to contact now.

The waiting was brief, but soon Hope answered the call.

“ Yes?”

“ Hope, I know it’s quite sudden but… is Shin still with you?” I asked calmly, part of me praying that he hadn’t left for other reasons.

“ He is… why?” The Gazelle Prime asked and I sighed.

“ Let’s just say that he got some visitors,” I answered cryptically. “Don’t let him hear her? It’s kind of a surprise.”

“ Hear who-”

“ Hi, Hope-nee,” Hikari took that question as a cue to finally talk.

“ ...Oh- Oh my. You mean that-”

“ Yep,” I answered curtly.

“ And that they are also-”

“ Yep.”

“ ...This is going to be quite the troublesome situation,” She judged without hesitation and I nodded in agreement to that.

“ Which is why I would need you to have Shin back to the dormroom since we will have to talk about this,” I requested implicitly. “Tell him that it’s urgent.”

She sighed on the other side of the call. “I will see to notify him of that. I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“ I think I do.”

… “ That’s good enough for me. For now.”

“ See you soon, then-”

“ Bye.”

The call ended there and Hikari stared at me with a surprised look. “So we’re going to surprise Oniisan?”

“ Yep-”

Just as I said this, I felt something bolting out of the bushes and right towards us. My eyes widened as I locked my stare at the approaching blur. A white mask, several markings spreading all over the attacker’s arm and… daggers.

Dread filled my thoughts as I saw the aggressor prepared to land a life-threatening blow on me… but I managed to fight back the sudden shock before rushing right at the masked figure.

From the way  _ her  _ posture straightened, I was quite sure that my approach was as unorthodox as unexpected.

The knives were still far from reaching me and I took the opportunity of her entire self being in my range to throw a strong punch right at her face.

The hit landed, and the attack was more than enough to cause the girl’s momentum to drop to nothing. A yelp echoed around and I saw the masked attacker fall backwards at that, her hands reaching for her mask while I took a serious guard against her.

Adrenaline offered me plenty of energies before this situation, but it was my boxing instincts kicking in that I felt my resolve steeling itself against the recoiling jerk.

I stared at the scene, with Miles taking a step closer.

“ Who is she?”

I blinked. “I don’t know but… her marks. I’ve seen those before.”

The Cat Prime snapped his attention at me. “Marks? Aren’t those Tattoos?”

I couldn’t tell in that moment, but it was Hikari’s calm comment that offered me a better understanding of what was going on.

“ Narakhan.”

The word reminded me of everything I knew about the topic and- Yep, this situation has definitely gone down the drain as of now.

“ That hurts...” The still-masked aggressor commented and I snorted.

“ Trust me, it will be worse. Why are you attacking us?”

“ As if I would care to answer your questions, foolish earthling.”

I frowned at that ‘insult’. “Aren’t we all earthlings?” I glanced at Miles. “Aren’t we?”

“ Fairly sure all inhabitants in Neo-Earth, from humans, to Primes, and Narakhans, are earthlings.”

“ Nonsense!” The woman responded vehemently. “The Tribes are the true owners of these lands. Only we were meant for these gifts!”

Pretty sure the Narakhans were among the losers about the Galactic War because of their affiliation to the Empire and… I’ve never heard of a person of a Narakhan actively supporting the old ‘cult’. The very group that was considered to represent the Emperor’s surviving will on Neo-Earth.

“ I think you missed some history lessons. That’s a lie,” I retorted almost too swiftly. “And my questions are still valid.”

“ I refuse to stand up to this comedy. This slight will not go unpunished when-”

There was a pause, and I stared as I noticed the Narakhan started to tense up at me, some shivers going down her spine as she kept looking at me.

...What is going on?

I couldn’t help but see how the young woman needed to use the bathroom for how terrified he appeared to be.

Frowning at this strange instance, my shock swelled even more as I felt a big hand strongly grasping at my shoulder. I heard a sigh and then a word.

“ Go.”

The voice was familiar, but the target of such a comment was still trembling before this newer intruder. The message wasn’t directed at us, but only to the assassin.

There was no sound, no malicious promise for a rematch… only silence.

The hand gave two pats at my shoulder.

“That was a good job, Mr. Parker,” _Professor Aken_ mentioned as he continued to stand behind me. “But I reckon you should probably get young Ms. Aryoko to her brother. Wouldn’t want to make a bigger ruckus than the one that is currently brewing.”

“ Professor-”

He offered one last pat before walking away. “You will need to be ready for the storm around the corner, Mr. Parker,” The Lion Prime pointed out. “And you will need to be attentive for any dangerous developments. Stay brave and determined.”

I was gawking at the retreating form of the teacher, still confused how he had managed to appear so suddenly and without making any noises. Or why he was here in the park and not offering any lessons.

Yep, this situation was getting crazier…

_**And now I had to help young Hikari to find her brother. Hopefully, the family reunion wasn’t going to end in a fiasco.** _

\-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-------------

**AN**

**The Narakhan strikes… but she is repelled by Professor Aken? I wonder why?**

_**Something about him is just familiar, don’t you think?** _

**Perhaps.**

_**Hopefully, little Hope can get Shin to calmly reach the dormrooms… just as Frankie hopes for.** _

**Nooooo-**

_**Hehehe- Oh? No, Naerie, I wasn’t bullying Bukharin with puns. Please don’t give me that look.** _

**You’re a big bulli.**

_***Snort* That’s ridiculous! I’m the High Prime, the Crest of Wisdom and-** _

**A big, cuddly bear?**

_**That’s right!!** _ _**By the way, dear readers, the second chapter of ‘Summertime in Heaven’ is now out.** _

**Indeed. A story that portrays closely to an unofficial sequel ‘Breast are the Best’ and it’s a NSFW story. Which means that underage readers shouldn’t go and check it. But if you’re an adult by your country’s laws, then go ahead and check. I accept suggestion about lemons in that regard.**

  
  



	11. Family Matters (3)

** Chapter 11: Family Matters (3) **

** Beta-Reader: Ant0nius **

Hikari entered the dorm room without saying a word. Cyan eyes opened wide as she explored the modest-sized room with utmost fascination and curiosity.

I stared calmly as she swiftly looked around, trying to get a proper thought of what kind of place her older sibling had been living in for the last few weeks.

The beds had been prepared in a proper fashion, and anything that had once occupied the floor had either been moved elsewhere or put in the trash earlier that morning.

The room had been fixed before we had left. Miles wasn’t someone that liked going through this on a daily basis and so early in the morning, but the Cat Prime had long learned to respect a decent degree of hygiene while we shared the same room.

Not only would we not end up having the trouble of fixing the room once lessons were done, but we would also not have a messy room to show to any guests visiting.

The latter case was perfectly exemplified by the current predicament, and it will certainly be used as a good reason to keep up with this habit.

The little girl wandered around for some time, ultimately settling herself on the couch and… bounced a little bit from feeling how comfy the pillows were.

“This room is so big!”

Her quiet exclamation got my smile to twitch in amusement. She was incredibly active despite the silent and polite personality she displayed during the walk.

I could only guess that the wonder had easily outmatched her nervousness and I took this opportunity to get to know her a little more.

“Uhuh,” I agreed with a nod. “It has to be big so that it can house three individuals at once.”

She glanced at me with an inquisitive look, and I almost confused her curiosity with the one that Shin would get while reading the newest argument by his textbook. It’s quite impressive how similar these two were in both appearance and attitude.

“How big is the school?” Hikari asked quickly, and I took a moment to reach her by the couch before answering.

Settling myself on the unoccupied side, I decided to not get too close to her for the sake of not putting her in an uneasy stance.

“Well, Prism Uni is pretty massive,” I replied with a kind nod. “Since it’s a famous academy, it receives lots of funds from various rich people and the various governments in the world as to make sure everyone studying here has a comfortable stay here.”

“But why is this school famous?”

Oh my, she got quite the pressure going with her queries. In normal circumstances, this very trait would’ve been troublesome to satisfy. But instead of feeling unnerved by the stream of questions, I continued to answer her in each turns.

Maybe it was connected to the fact that Hikari just acted like the innocent child that just wanted to know. And not like some brat just trying to get people annoyed at her.

The conversation that ensued was nice and simple, with Miles mostly keeping quiet as he settled by his bed and entertained himself with his phone. Either he was playing games, or he was checking on some pictures of girls living in the campus.

There were some suggestive ones uploaded by a couple of students, with most of them having plenty of censors to avoid getting insta-banned on the online page.

Still, the current situation took a good turn as Hikari leaned further and further into the pillow behind her. I took it as a sign that she was slowly growing more trustful of me.

“So Oniisan was nervous during the first day?” The girl asked with an intrigued tone. “But he’s smart. Why would he be nervous, Frankie-nii?”

“Well, I guess it has to do with the fact he is studying with people much older than himself,” I replied calmly, hiding the mirthfulness exploding at being referred to with that specific honorific.

I wasn’t someone that watched too much anime nowadays, but there was a time that I did when I was a kid. But, hearing the honorific delivered with her adorable tone was enough to make my heart melt at the sound of it.

“Shin is smart. Miles and I have noticed that, but he is also incredibly insecure about making a good impression with others and not appearing arrogant about his accomplishments,” I continued to explain.

She nodded, understanding what I was saying, but before she had the chance of continuing, Miles decided to quip some words himself.

“He is book-smart, but not life-smart,” The Cat Prime suddenly pointed out, drawing the girl’s attention. “He can easily solve a complicated problem in the homework in mere seconds, but he fails to get a proper grip over himself when he is dealing with talking with new people.”

I blinked in surprise at how on point that depiction was. I glanced at Miles, but the guy graced me just a brief nod before resuming his browsing.

“Miles is correct about this. Shin is a genius, but that doesn’t mean he gets friends really easily,” I added with a sigh. “He is nice, but also reluctant to show around how nice he truly is.”

Hikari hummed. “But you two are his friends now, right?”

“Yes.”

…

“Were you nervous as well on your first day at Prism, Frankie-nii?” The girl asked, quickly switching the topic elsewhere since the previous one had grown stale.

“I was. In fact, I almost turned up late for the initiation ceremony that very day,” I said with a nod. “But I think my greatest worry was that I was, and still am, the only human student here at Prism Uni.”

Her eyes widened again, her jaws dropping a little as I mentioned this last bit-

“You forgot to add that I was the one that saved you from lateness, prick,” Miles piped in once more, eyeing me with a frown. “At the very least, don’t exclude my incredible intervention.”

I snorted, shaking my head at how ‘aggravated’ the Cat Prime looked in that very moment. “Yes, Miles offered me passage to the entrance. He had a car and-”

“Weren’t you scared?”

…

What?

“Uh-”

“You’re the only human here. Don’t people find it strange?” She inquired rapidly, and I gave a little nod.

“I was afraid that… there had been a mistake with the enrollment,” I answered slowly, remembering the lingering dread that existed up until I got assigned to this room. The possibility that it was all the result of some electronic mistake had pressed me into a minor paranoia. Maybe I hadn’t been picked and… I was going to get my hopes drowned down the moment I got told that this was all the result of a ‘silly mistake’.

But now that entire debacle was gone and mostly forgotten, and instead of sporting a grim look about that remembrance, I showed a small smile.

“I thought that someone had messed things up since Prism Uni isn’t known to accept humans. But I discovered that I had been chosen through someone manually reviewing the document I had sent, so there were no mistakes about my enrollment.”

“So you weren’t afraid of making a bad impression.”

I shook my head. “I was afraid of that too, but I knew better from judging people before I even had the chance of meeting them.”

She nodded and… smiled back at me. “I’m glad that you’re here then,” The girl pointed out with a satisfied nod. “I bet you two are nice friends to Oniisan.”

I blinked in surprise as the little Prime quickly reached out for a hug. It was an adorable attempt as she was unable to fully wrap her arms around my waist. Too tiny, but I decided to carefully wrap my right arm over her shoulders and bring her closer. She giggled as I gave her head a soft pat.

“Thank you, sweetie.”

There was some silence at first in that embrace, but then I heard the snap noise that came only… when someone was taking a photo through a phone.

I froze for a moment, then I glanced to the only individual that had access to such a device and I stopped to see a smug look on Miles’ face.

“Miles-”

I frowned even more as I saw him write something and then… wait. He continued to smile as we stared at each other and-

Someone started to knock at the door.

Hikari peered from my shoulder. “Is it Oniisan?”

It was a little bit too strong and ‘urgent’ to be Shin or Hope, and I was a little bit confused as to why I felt dread rising up in my stomach all so suddenly.

“No,” I calmly replied, interrupting the hug and standing up from my seat to approach the door.

I reached the handle, turning it a little bit as I planned to just peek a little bit outside before fully opening it.

The individuals waiting outside weren’t that patient, and soon the barrier between us and the world beyond the room was slammed open by a giddy-looking… Tiggs.

“Cutie!” She squealed, lifting me up in a moment of absolute strength and staring at me with a starry-eyed expression. “Where is she?”

I frowned. “Tiggs? What is-”

Before I had the chance of asking, I saw another familiar figure enter the room with an interested look. Vixy looked fairly giddy herself, not as much as her close friend, but enough to get my frown to deepen.

“Miles sent us that adorable picture. Where is that cute girl and-”

The Fox Prime paused, noticing that Hikari was staring at the new arrivals with a nervous and confused look.

“Tiggs, we’re scaring her,” The leader of the cheerleader seemed to sober up a little bit.

The words seemed to hit the Tiger Prime into a stiff silence before ultimately letting me back on the ground.

“Tiggs?” I asked again, my brain failing to compute a proper question about the scene unfolding before my eyes.

“Miles sent us that picture where you were hugging that cute child,” The big girl explained with a slightly nervous tone. “Sorry for being abrupt and-”

“It’s fine, I know you can be quite determined when you want to,” I appeased with a sigh. “Still, I thought you two still had an hour or two before ending the morning sessions with the cheerleaders.”

I remember Vixy giving me a copy of the schedule so I would know when the two were free from their duties with the other girls, and right now I was quite sure that it was a bit too early for them to be done with the practices.

“I decided to end things early since we started earlier than usual,” The Fox Prime pointed out with a nod. “We were on our way to our room when Miles sent Tiggs the photo.”

Vixy looked at Hikari with a curious look. “By the way, I don’t think you’ve introduced us to...”

I blinked, quickly turning to the white-haired girl and nodding. “Sweetie, you can come closer. These two are good friends to us.”

There was some hesitation at the request, but Hikari was driven to approach the curious characters that were now staring at her so… fascinated.

“This is Hikari, she is Shin’s little sister,” I introduced with a cautious tone, keeping her close as I turned my attention back at the two young women. “And these are Vixy and Traci. Traci likes to be called Tiggs, and she is a big softie.”

The Tiger Prime huffed a little at the compliment, but the Fox Prime nodded in agreement to it.

“He isn’t wrong, Tiggs,” She admitted with a mirthful tone, getting a faux pout out of our mutual friend.

Hikari blinked at the reaction, slowly realizing that despite her size, Tiggs wasn’t someone to be nervous about. In fact, instead of keeping quiet, the young girl bowed and let out quite the unexpected words.

“And she is beautiful.”

Maybe she thought that returning the favor by complimenting the very person that called her ‘cute’ and ‘adorable’ was common sense. I wasn’t sure what happened next as Traci’s face showed a full blush at that innocent compliment.

“She isn’t wrong, Tiggs,” I repeated Vixy’s words, getting a shy look from the plum-haired girl before we all started to sober and have a proper conversation.

…

_** But who would’ve thought that the ones to arrive at the dorm room first weren’t Shin and Hope. ** _

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** ~Kate’s POV~ **

Worry still stirred in her mind, this time the cause of her uneasiness being her youngest.

Kate was starting to get irritated with how easily she was losing composure. She wasn’t completely annoyed by it since she should’ve expected initiative from her daughter to find her brother as quickly as possible.

Both siblings were attached to each other, and Hikari had shown multiple times already during the trip to reach Prism that she missed her older sibling.

The mere sight of her little one suffering through that unexpected separation left her in a paradoxical state of contempt over his son’s unruly decision and… her own unwillingness to accept the rebelliousness in Shin’s mind.

Her son was just trying to be normal. The concept just felt so offending now that her life had grown peaceful, but Kate would be lying in saying that the way her family lived was common.

Isolation never helped people already at peace. Isolation is useful only when one needs to mourn and cope with loss.

Shin and Hikari… they didn’t need time away from society. They were clueless of what true loss was and, while that lessened their understanding of the value life should have and why certain choices are imposed rather than picked, that was something that Kate had long looked at as a boon for her happy ending.

Their children… they will never know of the dreadful thing that was war.

They will hear of it through spoken or written words, but they will not feel the knowledge on their skins.

The horror of the battlefield…

Still, the situation that should’ve by all means seen her and her husband pick the city inside out to find where their youngest child ended up before it could’ve turned chaotic and destructive.

It was only when an old friend approached them by the hotel that the situation reached an uneasy peace for both her and Bengala.

“I’m still surprised that you stuck around Prism Uni,” The Tiger Prime mused as the trio now ventured through the streets, the formal man that had once fought along them looked fairly confident and calm of the situation, and his explanation had served as a proper means to cool down their nerves. “I remember you saying something about retiring from the ‘boring and cursed job’.”

“To be fair, I still regret keeping up with the paperwork for little more than just three years,” The Lion Prime leading the College mentioned with a tired sigh. “I swear, these young men and women are out to make my life difficult.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good explanation to me, ‘Aken’,” Bengala commented mirthfully. “Come on, you can tell us what has you, a simple academic that planned for a lone hermit experience to ditch all prospects to keep the desk.”

_Professor Aken_ frowned dryly at that remark.

“Things tend to change quickly when interesting people cross our paths. Let’s just say that I have my own personal reasons, but it was a request from Ambar that got me to stay longer than I had initially hoped.”

“You don’t get intrigued by things, Sem,” Kate rebuked calmly. “You’re not the kind of person to get interested by anyone of this era.”

The man groaned, the Crest of Light knowing that her fellow Crest had his own reasons to keep his identity hidden by all those that he couldn’t trust with his infamous title.

The Crest of Death. Many remember the Lion Prime as a warrior of no words, and endless terrible deeds.

The fright his imposed title offered to his enemy was enough to make him a commendable leader during the Galactic War.

Only a handful other than the other Crests managed to get emotions out of him other than abject indifference. The list was so short that Kate was quite confident she could count those just one hand.

But with the end of the war, Sem found a dreadful issue lingering for the first few decades of peace.

Nobody trusted the ‘malicious-looking’ beholder of the keys to the afterlife.

The connection the Lion Prime had over Death itself was more abstract and… natural. Sem didn’t seek to cause pain over those around him. Even back during the war he had been lamented by Ambar for being too ‘soft’ in some battles.

Decisions that spared many of the men under his care, and yet condemned the conflict to be extended for a couple more months.

He was controversial to the large majority of those that didn’t know him personally, and beloved as a caring but strict leader that led his soldiers to a just victory.

Not many could be defined as ‘unchanged’ as Sem. While the backlash his reputation dealt to him when the war was over had limited his chances of having a life in that peace he had helped create, careful planning and secrecy had lowered the chances for him to be recognized by the people.

The Crest of Death wasn’t depicted by anyone, just like the rest of the Crests were. With the sole exception of Carmesi, Bengala, and Ambar, none of their groups was meant to be recognized by anyone else except Knights, trusted allies, and fellow Crests.

“ As I’ve said,  _ kitty _ , things tend to change incredibly quickly,” The teacher rebuked with some annoyance, ignoring Kate’s own irritation at that nickname. “And for good reasons, I can’t tell you more about said ‘request’.”

Bengala huffed. “It can’t be that important-”

“ But it is,” Sem interjected curtly. “Which is why I can’t tell you anything about it. You might  _ feel  _ something, but it would be a surprise if you actually did.”

Silence ensued after that sentence, and Kate distracted herself by looking around at the entrance of the school.

Prism Uni had been something Ambar had spoken highly about, but the Crest of Light knew well enough that it was more of an indirect self-praise since the college had been created under the High Prime’s guidelines.

And while the Crest of Wisdom had limited control over the place, she still had plenty of influence over the administration to make things go her way.

The green spaces and the pleasant looking shades offered by the couple of trees settled around offered a contrast compared to how ‘steely’ some spaces had turned into modern cities. It reminded Kate of the time when there were more parks around and… less skyscrapers making things difficult to travel around by acrobatics.

The presence of various young Primes carefully wandering around the paths of stone offered renewed calm to the blonde, but not enough to dissipate the impatience that was slowly building up the more she looked around.

Was she expecting to find Shin already? Maybe. Or maybe she just hoped to find her daughter first and proceed to plan out an encounter with her son with proper timing and place.

Patience was a virtue she knew on a personal level, but before the circumstances that led her in that place this soon… she was rekindling her relations with her own childish uneasiness over the trouble waiting around the corner.

Sem had mentioned that the people that had found Hikari were also roommates to her son. The coincidence was surprising, but the Crest of Death had paid little attention to this unexpected development.

Maybe there was something that made the two young men stand up compared to the rest.

Her curiosity increased the more steps she took and… soon, she found her entire mind piqued by what was happening on the other side of the door in front of them.

The hallways leading to the dorms were spacious. It was enough to not give a sense of claustrophobia that hotels’ hallways and other corridors that led to small rooms used to give to people.

Taking the initiative, Sem knocked twice and soon they heard footsteps approaching.

The door creaked, opening just enough to offer enough space for someone to peek outside.

A head slowly popped out to the open, bright blue eyes scanning around before settling on the Crest of Death.

This individual… wasn’t a Prime. A human, a young man with short dark hair and slender build. There was some muscle, but it wasn’t overly noticeable through his clothes as he opened the door wide.

“Professor Aken, I didn’t expect-”

“I brought Mr. and Mrs. Aryoko, Mr. Parker,” Sem interjected coolly, but instead of sneering at the boy, the man merely nodded politely. “I suppose young Ms. Aryoko was cared for properly.”

The human nodded, making his way inside as they saw what was happening inside. The room was neat and well-cared for… but was also lacking much other than a couch, three beds, and a large wardrobe.

A small group of three Primes, two girls and a young man were playing together with Kate’s youngest… at what looked to be a board game. Hikari’s eyes lit up as she saw her parents by the doorstep and she quickly rushed her mother for a quick hug.

Kate was surprised, but relief overcame her confusion that had roused at seeing what the group of young students was doing in that room.

“Okaasan, you should try this game! It’s so fun!”

The girl looked ecstatic and the blonde frowned at the rambunctious exclamations coming from her child. Bengala chuckled a little, his hands reaching for their daughter’s head and ruffling her hair a little much to Hikari’s brief annoyance.

“You’ve discovered the entertainment only Monopoly can give, little Star?” The Tiger Prime inquired mirthfully. “I was planning to buy a copy of the game so that you could try it first at home, but I guess you’re already enjoying it as of now.”

“Uh Uh!” She nodded happily. “Frankie-nii is helping me beat Tiggs-nee, Vixy-nee, and Miles-nii.”

Kate blinked at the way the girl was addressing these people. Somehow this little group had gained her child’s trust and respect with mere talking and playing.

Maybe that’s why Sem gave this much trust to these two young men. He hadn’t said anything about the two girls, but perhaps these were good friends of her son and his roommates.

Still… a human? Kate wasn’t following much of the policies of this school, but she could remember Ambar mentioning that the place was considered restricted only to Primes.

A sudden change to the curriculum? It wouldn’t be much of a surprise that the High Prime was just trying to see if it would be worth the fun to include humans among the crowds of Primes.

She would mention ‘equality’ and ‘an attempt to bring an end to some silly diversity’, but in the end it would all be for a childish whim. Either one born from amusement… or for something beyond the common amusement.

It was odd to see Ambar actually follow through the second reason… but then again there was a strange shift in Sem’s behavior when he addressed the young human that just made things tilt to that very possibility.

Another curious element that Kate gave thought to was the fact that one of the girls, the Fox Prime, reminded her so much of a certain prideful Crest.

The same blonde hair-locks… just like Carmesi.

It was absurd to believe that the Crest of Fire had actually sent her daughter to study here… and not keep her to train as a possible vice in the tribal administration she had over her Fire Clan.

It had to have been Howl’s intervention to win over this decision. Carmesi wouldn’t have accepted this very circumstance, even at the behest of Ambar herself. Especially not at the behest of Ambar.

Gods know what would happen if the High Prime just ended up getting this much leeway over the rest of the Crests.

The chaotic damages caused out of stealing a giggle or two from a situation would surely create devastating scenarios that Kate really didn’t want to even think about.

Despite the two odd predicaments, the blonde’s mind was set elsewhere as she took notice of a single detail that could either be interpreted as a good thing or a dreadful development.

Where was her son?

Her question, albeit directed at Sem, was answered by the only Human.

“Shin was with Hope, I called her a while ago and she told me that they were coming to the dormroom.”

Kate had almost forgotten about Hope. The girl had been somewhat close to a second daughter, and the Crest of Light shared a close connection with the Crest of Love.

Grace was a marvelous person that Kate couldn’t help but be inspired by as to take care properly of a normal family.

Hope and Joy, both girls looked both healthy and loved by their parents. It was ironic how the oldest of the Ravenhurst siblings had connected quickly with Shin, but Joy had outright ignored Hikari when they first met.

Thankfully, her own daughter didn’t mind the development as she preferred to play more with her older brother and Hope.

Maybe it was the age difference, but part of the Crest of Light already knew that the youngest Ravenhurst had inherited her father’s bluntness coupled with her mother’s headstrong personality.

“How much is ‘a while ago’, Mr. Parker? Please, do offer a more approximate answer.”

Professor Aken was… insistent, and that pressure got a better answer out of the confused student.

“I would say about twenty minutes ago. From what I remember, Shin and Hope were busy at the library, so I believe they will turn up in about a few minutes.”

Sem nodded curtly, and there was a strange sense of calm after this.

Hikari became quite insistent for the young human, Frankie, to resume the game with her.

The rest of the Primes looked fairly reluctant to go through that match, but the blonde got a reason as to why they were so dejected as the game continued.

While there was what looked to be a massive disadvantage since Hikari was playing just with the human, the truth of the situation manifested the very moment the human took his turn on the first moves.

Monopoly… wasn’t a game Kate was experienced with. But with a quick glance over the match unfolding before her eyes, she slowly learned that it had to do with ‘conquering’ tiles and making them expensive for adversaries to step into by investing the funds available to each player.

It was fairly simple, but strategy was the main key to success. And while the trio should’ve been in the best of positions to not only attack but cover their own weak spots thanks to their higher amount of coin, circumstances favored the human as he quickly set down two new traps.

Careful placing and a good handling of the money rendered the young man a dangerous opponent in this game and-

“Does this have to do with what happened yesterday?” Vixy inquired with a huff. “I swear, I can’t help but think you’re making this more excruciating for us just because we used Miles.”

“Nah,” Miles himself said while shaking his head. “He’s only angry at me about it. In fact, he’s already exempted his revenge on me… I think.”

“You speak of today’s wake up call?” The human inquired rhetorically, his smile disrupting the oblivious tone he was aiming for. “I guess you can say that betrayals come in full circle.”

“But- But why are you so good at it?” Tiggs whined while groaning in her own hands.

“Well, I just learned how to play the game after losing several times against mom,” Frankie answered with a sigh. “I swear, the way she handles out justice in this game made many call her the ‘Monopoly Queen’.”

It sounded quite… odd.

Just as Kate continued listening to the group, unaware of the fact that her husband was looking at her intrigued reaction with extreme amusement, everyone in that room found their attention drawn to the door as three knocks came from it.

Soon the door was opened, revealing a slightly tired Hope spearheading a giddy-looking Shin holding two bags filled with books.

“I-I’m sorry for being late. The library ended up giving away a large part of the old copies of the books available in there, and Shin wanted to get some for himself-”

There was a pause as Hope’s green eyes widened at the overall situation. Shin soon followed with a similar reaction, but instead of keeping quiet, the White Tiger Prime addressed the two individuals that he hadn’t expected to find.

“Father… Kaasan?”

_** Kate held back her breathing, feeling like the moment of truth had finally come for her and her son. ** _   
  
  


\--------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d------------

** AN **

** Shin now has to deal with his family, and things will be quite odd to unravel. **

_** Especially when it’s not just them listening and speaking. I wonder if Bengala will try to smooth things out- ** _

** Or if Kate will actually make a helluva of a mess by trying to fix things up. **

_** And Vixy is here to listen, understand and… get some doubts sowed in her mind over the situation for her peers, fellow Crests’ children! Stay tuned for some fun! ** _


	12. Family Matters (4)

**Chapter 12: Family Matters (4)**

_**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius** _

I wasn’t sure what had exactly happened between Shin and his mother. 

Sure, Hope told me a long while ago that the guy had left home without the woman’s consent or permission to join Prism Uni, and her mother had then added that this escalation had left the white-furred Cat Prime rather furious with her son, but I didn’t know the precise events that led up to this very scene.

With Shin having picked his own bed as a seat and her mother standing in front of him and beside her husband, the atmosphere created by these two was tense enough to put an end to the other activities in the dorm room.

They both didn’t strike me as individuals committed into making a stupid and irreversible decision that could lead to unpleasant ramifications.

But from the way these two ignored the burden of starting this important conversation that saw my young friend’s family visiting him for these few days, I could tell that something about this already bizarre situation was just… missing.

It had to be the truth. It couldn’t be anything else, considering that these two were still dealing with a case that had both of them ignore each other so vehemently and tensely.

This was the first time I saw Shin appear so serious and unwilling to allow any uneasiness in his features. Quite a unique sight for sure, but one that didn’t get much of a reaction out of me.

Hope had picked the seat in the couch closest to the private scene before outright barraged me with questions over this development. I hadn’t mentioned yet that Shin’s parents were there. So, I only told the truth.

The parents found the room faster than they could return to the dorms. It was frustrating for her, and I could understand her initial outburst, but was quite surprised by the immediate apology that I got as she realized that this happened out of causality rather than anything else.

I would’ve expected her to fuss a bit more on the subject matter but… it was nice that I wouldn’t have to deal with this issue for longer than a couple of honest words.

Vixy and Tiggs had taken their leave as the situation became more complicated and… the Fox Prime didn’t feel at ease from watching the scene unfold.

From what I could remember from one of the previous conversations I had with Traci, the leader of the cheerleaders had her own troubles with her own mother that prevented her from helping with other family problems.

I didn’t blame her for wanting to be spared by what was going to be a massacre, judging from the way mother and son were already behaving as.

Miles offered few suggestions over the reasons why Mrs. Aryoko could behave this harshly, each sounding more annoying and awkward to listen to. I knew he was trying to make comedy out of this situation to ease up the situation, but Hope gave him a sharp glare once her patience about it reached its limit.

Hikari peered from my shoulder over the situation.

The girl had a confused and uneasy look settled on her cute face. A slight sense of nervousness was there on her visage to remind me of how unsure she was over what had driven her brother out of home.

Despite our best efforts to convince her that she wasn’t part of that fallout, her concerns about it far from being quelled.

Professor Aken was standing the closest to us, his stare giving utmost attention at the main event of this reunion as a knowing smile lingered on his lips.

“Are you two going to say anything at all?” Shin’s father, Bengala, inquired with an impatient tone. “I mean, you’ve been staring at each other for two minutes now. I think you both have things to say and- _I think I will be quiet now_.”

The final twist was conceived out of dread at the mother-son glare duo. It was a temporary agreement that suddenly shattered as the staring resumed.

Yet, my attention was now back on the Tiger Prime. Mr. Aryoko reminded me of someone I had seen before. And while there were numerous Primes that looked similar to each other, this individual just struck me as familiar.

I think I’ve met him before… but I couldn’t exactly remember when or where this happened.

Still, as his attempt to mediate the discussion failed, Bengala decided to wander off from his wife’s side and check on us.

“Hope, it’s been a while,” The man greeted. “And you’ve grown beautiful. I bet your dad had to make sure no one tried to steal you away from him.”

_For some reason, I felt the need to shiver at this..._

The Gazelle Prime looked awkward at the comment. “He’s been busy with the fishing company.”

“Always the hard worker, I would never expect anything less from Kayin,” The Tiger Prime said while nodding, his attention turning right onto… me. “And I’ve heard you’re one too, Mr. Parker.”

I blinked in surprise. “Me?”

“ _Professor_ Aken was keen to praise your understanding of his subject,” He continued with a nod, ignoring the frown coming from the teacher himself. “And I also see that you’ve already befriended little Hikari. What do you think of him, sweetie?”

The girl giggled a little bit, pressing her arm on my back. “Frankie-nii is super-nice.”

I allowed a smile and quick nod, glad to have made a good impression with Shin’s little sister.

“That’s good to hear, princess,” The man hummed happily before he gave me a curious look. “And Frankie, that’s your name… right?”

Nodding at his question, he hummed even more. “I know this sounds like a sudden question, but is your father’s name Andrew?”

“Yes?” I interrupted with a shocked tone and look. Shin’s father knew mine? Why couldn’t I remember if-

“I think I met him years ago while training my team there,” He explained with a bright smile. “I remember having just heard of this formidable boxer and I really wanted to spar with him. I ended up fighting him only once, but it was quite the fun fight.”

“Your father is a boxer?” Hope inquired with a fascinated tone.

“He used to be one. Kind of dropped it once I started to walk,” I replied with a nod, my response getting a surprised look from the Tiger Prime.

“He quit?” He asked in pure shock. “I would have thought that he had plans of going professional once you were born.”

“I think… he just got frightened by the prospect of losing,” I pointed out with an uneasy voice. “His real fear was that if he ended up losing, he wouldn’t have been able to sustain the family.”

“And so he became a computer nerd,” Miles added dryly.

Bengala sighed at this discovery. “A pity. If he had been a Prime, I would’ve probably got him in the Courage Clan.”

I offered a nod- only to freeze up at these words.

“The Courage Clan? The… group led by the Crest of Courage?”

My question was met with a smile. “You’re speaking to-”

“A professional boxing trainer!” Hope jumped in with a panicked tone. “One that has contacts with the Courage Clan.”

The Tiger Prime frowned at this, and Miles snorted at the young woman’s outburst.

“What was that?” The Cat Prime asked mirthfully, only for Hope to refuse offering a truthful explanation.

Merely giving her a confused stare, I started to partially ignore Hikari as the young girl giggled at the ‘dumb reaction’.

“I suppose you don’t want them to know ‘that’, right?”

The Gazelle swiftly nodded, and I felt even more drawn to ask what they were talking about.

But before I had the chance to do this, Bengala turned his attention to the last occupant of the couch.

“And then there is-”

“Miles Lionheart. Ladies here know my name quite well,” The guy smugly interrupted, only for Hope to snort dryly at that comment.

“Yep, they know how much you’ve spent time looking at their social pages.”

…

“Wait, they really know that-”

“I think she’s joking, Miles,” I interjected with a sigh. “But I’m sure they might learn to know you for that if you don’t do anything else other than browsing your phone when we’re not in lectures.”

“I-I plan to join the Football team!” He rebuked annoyed, only for the Tiger Prime to frown at his ambition.

“I’ve heard that the team was already complete. Even the reserves,” The man pointed out. “Plus, you don’t seem to train a lot.”

“I- I run laps around Prism Uni-”

“The Campus. And it’s occasional at best, Hope interjected with a nod. “Like seriously, what’s your excuse about it?”

“How about you explain to me why you’re all so against everything I do?!” He rebuked fiercely. “Anything I do is worthy of criticism.”

“Miles, you know that we’ve told you that ‘ladies’ like someone that is productive, consistent with his plans, and also keep a healthy shape,” I reminded with a calm voice. “And the only times we ‘criticize’ you is when you’re doing something that only ends up hurting you in the end. Like trying to skip study sessions.”

“And to what end?”

“As Frankie said, girls dig guys that don’t waste time doing nothing,” The Gazelle Prime replied with a kind smile. “Miles, you’re our friend. Of course we want you to be successful and be happy.”

Hikari tugged at his sleeve, catching his attention and smiling. “You’re a good person, Miles-san.”

He sighed, quietly pondering over what he was supposed to say at that much encouragement. “I… I guess I should really try.”

“I’ve heard there is a good gym nearby,” I suggested happily. “I wanted to check if they had a good swimming pool to train by, so you could come with me next weekend.”

“Swimming sounds nice,” The Cat Prime agreed and I felt like I’ve finally found the first of many solutions needed to help Miles make a proper stand in these few years here in Prism.

But now that this interaction was mostly wrapped up… the much-needed discussion between Shin and his mother still hasn’t started yet.

And the lecture after Professor Aken’s usual lesson had to have already begun at this point.

I sighed since I knew that if we continued to allow these two to not get some mediation, we would end up wasting the entire day without getting anything meaningful done.

Glancing back at Hikari, and finally noticing her curious stare directed back at me, I decided that drastic problems needed drastic responses.

So I stood up from my seat, gesturing for the girl to follow me as we walked up to the bed beside the one Shin was currently sitting by. Hope offered a curious look, with Miles merely glancing as he knew that I had something planned and… both Professor Aken and Bengala gave me an intrigued look as I approached the danger zone.

Shin was the first one to notice what I was doing, with Mrs. Aryoko turning only as she realized that her daughter was now sitting in front of her. The woman’s eyes lifted up to glance at me with a confused look.

“Are you two going to talk now?”

And her confusion twisted in a quick scowl, while her son allowed a grimace on his face.

“These are private affairs, young man,” Shin’s mother pointed out. “And from what I’ve heard, you’re not someone that would generally disrespect people in such a manner.”

“And normally, you would be correct, Mrs. Aryoko,” I rebuked with a nod. “I’m not entirely sure of myself whether this is really needed or not- but then again, you two have already wasted a full twenty minutes staring at each other, and have made no progress.”

She blinked, her orange eyes sporting some confusion and interest. “And?”

“And while I understand that working these kinds of things requires a lot of time spent trying to either negotiate a compromise or a winning side, I will remind you both that Shin, Hope, Miles, and I are all students at this school,” I brought up before allowing a sigh out of my lips. “And we just ended up skipping a couple of lessons to try and get this situation at least started.”

“You don’t have any reason keeping it in here,” The blonde pointed out. “This is about Shin and his family. And you three-”

“Are good friends to your son, ma’am,” I interrupted with a serious tone. “While it might not be enough in your eyes to see us as part of this situation, I can assure you that we’re all in for the sake of helping Shin if there is a genuine problem.”

She scoffed. “Even if you don’t know what actually happened?”

“Yes,” I answered readily. “But I think telling both sides of the story can be a good way to start this conversation. And while I understand you might be unwilling to speak of your family’s affairs before a ‘group of strangers’, we’ve no reason to do anything malicious about this.”

“That sounds… intriguing,” The woman remarked. “But then, I would have to also ask a favor from you in return, Parker-san.”

I blinked, feeling quite surprised at the ‘price’ to actually help with the situation. “If it’s something that I can offer without hesitation, then I will.”

She nodded, a pleased smile adorning her beautiful face as she started to explain.

“I’ve never denied my son the chance of studying outside of our house,” Mrs. Aryoko said with a determined tone. “The only requirement I would impose to Shin was, and still is, that the place he decided to study in was somewhere I could get someone to keep an eye out for him.”

I tilted my head in visible confusion. “Protect him?”

“He is my heir. The one that will one day be bestowed with the leadership of the Aryoko Clan,” She elaborated in great details. “His safety is my priority, first as my duty as his mother, and then as the head of the clan.”

“So you were against him coming to study here in Prism because you are unable to get anyone to watch over him?” I guessed, getting a quick nod from her.

“That’s correct,” The Cat Prime responded positively. “I thought that sending him so far away from home would leave him without anyone to assist him if someone attacked him.”

I could see Shin getting slightly irritated at this, and I had a little idea about what was putting him in this kind of mood.

His mother was, probably unconsciously, putting him in a state of embarrassment. And that was irking him the more this side of the conversation continued.

“So you wish for him to… return home because you wish for him to be protected?”

“That was my first intention,” She admitted with a nod. “But as I thought more about it, I think I wish to see if the situation actually requires him to leave, or if the security in here is capable of keeping him safe.”

That last part actually got her son’s attention away from the irritation.

“What?”

The woman sighed. “While I might have been stern over your interest in leaving our house, Shin, I would never shun you from wanting to learn more about the world,” She mentioned with a kind tone. “I was there when you started to ask the first few questions about the things around you. You were curious from the very beginning, and as a mother, I can’t help but be proud of the kind of man you’re turning into.”

…

“But you’re afraid that he is going too fast,” I supposed. “That the faster he goes, the more in danger he will end up in.”

“And is it wrong for me to think such?” She inquired with a strange tone, drawing a perplexed look from me.

“Not… truly,” I answered slowly. “I think mom would be reluctant to send me to a place which could lead me into a dangerous circumstance. She might be crazy from time to time about it herself, but it’s legitimate for a parent to worry about their children.”

Her smile widened. “I’m glad that we’re on the same page, then.”

She glanced at her son and sighed. “I understand if you’re angry that… I might appear overbearing. But if I go out of my way to try and assure your protection, it’s all because I don’t wish for you to be harmed.”

“I’m… I’m strong,” Shin pointed out with a frown. “I’ve trained a lot so that I could be able to finally see the world beyond the cage.”

“And that’s something that I’ve seen. Your father also told me that you excelled in numerous sparring sessions against his students,” The Cat Prime agreed. “But my worry still lingers.”

“I think that’s… not something that can be resolved by paranoia,” I offered my own thoughts about the matter. “A parent will always feel worried about their children- but it’s also true that once we’re all old enough to give a try at life, we should be allowed to do so.”

She sighed. “Even if said trial is dangerous and filled with life-threatening turns?”

I frowned at the oddly-specific question, but I still shrugged and nodded.

“Would it be surprising if I said yes?”

A snort left her lips. “No. Actually, that’s a fair point you’re making.”

“Also, I think it’s possible to sign a form to request one of the special Nanozell Spirits assigned to Prism Uni to be used by students to return home in case of urgency,” I added with a nod. “It’s one of the few features that was added in relation to the fact that most of the students come from the other continents and that planes might take too much time to arrive at the proper place.”

But I knew that Shin had to have already told her about it, or else they would’ve considered it already and…

…

Mrs. Aryoko regarded me with an incredibly confused look and Shin looked… nervous.

“Is that so?”

I offered a frown and a nod at that skeptical query, letting the mother ask for clarification with her son… while I found my attention drawn to Hikari.

The girl gave a soft tug at my sleeve. “What is a Nanozell Spirit?”

I suppose she had never heard about those. It wasn’t that much uncommon for people to have never seen one before either.

“Well, a Nanozell Spirit is a creature born from Nanozell, a kind of energy that the High Prime discovered a long time ago,” I started to explain with a hum. “While they might appear like spirits, which is why they are named that, they are actually a mix of life and machinery. In fact, they are mostly known to operate devices, either small or big ones, because of their connection to those.”

Hikari nodded, still looking a little bit perplexed about this new information, but still glad to have something as a base to work on.

With that detail down, I glanced at Shin with a skeptical tone. “I thought you had read the pamphlet.” 

“I did,” The White Tiger Prime confirmed before letting out an awkward sigh. “But I… forgot about it while I was coming up with arguments before speaking up about my intentions to Okaasan.”

“It would seem like you can actually get tangled up with things if you’re all worked up,” I pointed out mirthfully, further capitalizing on his embarrassment. “Maybe give it a cool-headed thought next time you’ve to contemplate something important?”

Shin nodded without hesitation, trying to ignore the twitching smile on her mother’s face as the woman realized what just happened.

“Son, did you really forget about something that would have spared all of us from this situation?” Bengala inquired from his newest seat… the one I had abandoned to the one I was currently using.

Still, what the Tiger Prime was saying was technically true and… Mrs. Aryoko looked fairly irked about that matter. And I knew that Shin couldn’t be defended on that perspective.

I noticed that Hikari had realized this much herself from the way she was trying to hold back a giggle at her brother’s mistake.

Offering a smile, I went to pat her head as we witnessed the two keeping quiet for some time and… then Shin remembered something really important. And not an excuse that he needed to avoid his mother’s wrath.

“W-Wait, aren’t we going to be late for Professor Bayer’s lecture?”

He quickly jumped to reach for the backpack containing today’s textbooks and notes, ignoring his father’s amused look and his mother’s groan of disappointment at this curious scene.

The young man took the proper textbooks and things, rushing out of the dorm room without saying much to anyone.

It took me a moment to realize that-

“Wait, don’t you share that class with him, Miles?” I asked with a little bit of nervousness.

The poor guy finally took in the fact that his ‘beacon of hope’ had just left through the door without him. I never saw the Cat Prime bolt so quickly after someone that wasn’t a gorgeous girl.

But while the amusing scene was enough to bring up a smile to my face, the little entertainment was short-lived as Hope stood up from her own seat.

“A-And we have class with Professor Dorion!”

...Oh- _OH!!_

I carefully stood up, giving a quick apology to both Hikari and her parents about the fact we had to leave them alone while I rushed towards the doorstep with a panicked look plastered on my face.

A surprised silence filling the rest of the people as Hope and I quickly ran away through the corridors and towards the classroom in question.

…

…

Bengala chuckled. “I think they haven’t noticed that they were holding hands when they left.”

His daughter giggled at the comment, while Kate merely smiled at the scene.

_**And Sem… smirked at how things were developing into. Hopefully Ambar will be careful while handling this curious group.** _

\-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-------------

**~Ifera’s POV~**

Her face still hurt, no matter how much attention she gave it.

While Ifera wasn’t a professional medic, her understanding of basic medicine should’ve been enough to fix the damage caused by that unneeded punch.

And yet, the simple application of medical ointment meant to help with this kind of situation didn’t help in soothing the pain she still felt from that sudden attack.

That sneaky human had managed to hit her in the most unexpected way one could’ve ever imagined. And yet, Ifera was equally annoyed and impressed by such a development.

To think that such an individual existed within the circle created by the abominations’ spawns. And to think that it was a human that had flawlessly pushed her back.

Maybe there was also the fact that the Crest of Death had been there to give her the fright of her life. The Lion Prime was as terrifying as those that had survived the encounters with him had said he was.

But still, that punch, that simple but effective counter to her assault had left her pondering more about the circumstances at hand.

Maybe this wouldn’t be easy at all as she had initially suspected it as being. Which would explain why Shin Aryoko hadn’t called upon more Knight groups to hunt her down the moment he spotted her.

Or…

What if the human was actually a knight? Could it be possible that the mongrels were actually recruiting simians in their own army?

Highly debatable, but not something to exclude without further study. It would mean running once again on the young man with the shiny and _dazzling_ blue eyes.

What an oddly satisfying element to stare at, especially when the owner of the pair was one of her enemies. The truest form of villainy!

But there wasn’t anything she could’ve done by just whining about the predicament. As much as it pained her to admit it, Ifera would need some reinforcements if she wanted to succeed in this mission.

Someone else to trust in, to rely on, to order around, and send into suicidal missions. Like the one to approach the human and gauge more about his capacities?

But who should she ask for? The roster of people that would flock at the chance of helping chaos was extensive, but just a handful of them were worthy of the task at hand.

Ifera spent a while thinking about it, and she couldn’t find anyone that would match with her needs!

Tolmin? Too demonic.

Drake? Too smartassy.

Uphel? Too impish.

Ymo? Too devious.

Ayah? Too unruly.

Hrad? Too barbaric!

_GAH! WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT?!_

It shouldn’t be. Life should be easy for her now that she was on the best way to return the Emperor to its proper seat of power.

And yet the world seemed to conspire with every step she was making in that direction. But why? Why would her destiny as the harbinger of the proper order of things be so difficult!

Chaos was the truest form of order. The chance of being freed from the restricting form of ‘justice’ that the foolish High Prime had concocted all for the sake of hide tyranny behind a thin fog of ‘happiness’.

The world was too cruel to accept this degree of unfairness. Which is why the Narakhan’s cause was never shattered despite the intense campaign promoted by the Crest of Light and the Crest of Wisdom.

They lived through the onslaught, and each generation offered a new batch of soldiers to the just cause promoted by the one that stood before the Gods and said no to them.

No at their unfair judgment.

No at their insistence at favoring a single race they believed their best creations.

No at their greediness and laziness.

…

But then the Crests banded up together and stopped the grandiose plan from actually succeeding.

Even thinking about this was enough to remind her of the humiliation and dishonor born from the spoils of defeat.

This wasn’t freedom. This was a golden cage.

One that Ifera wanted to crack and destroy with her bare hands.

She nodded to herself, smiling as her devotion to the cause felt renewed at the idea that there was actually a challenge before her.

The young Coyote was legitimately fearful of what might happen at the next mistake, but she learned that life was the best teacher and that its best method of teaching its students was through trial and error.

This mistake, albeit frustrating, gave her an idea of what she was going to face.

This wasn’t just a cast of Primes trying to stick together. There was also a human.

And this human, probably, was the key to her success.

He was strong, yes, but he was surely very close to her main targets. Compared to Shin Aryoko and Hope Ravenhurst, the guy had to be also weaker and thus her best bet to strike at the group.

He didn’t have a Crest-bound ability, nor he had anything that a normal Prime Knight should be able to use in combat.

He was a simple bodyguard with strength, speed, and a gaze of an ange- _Her mind was playing tricks on her again!_

Why was it so complicated to think about him and not turn her attention back on his _lovely eyes-_ and now she was doing it again.

Groaning in frustration, more leaves fell off the tree branch she was lying onto.

It was frustrating enough just finding another park to hide in until she was sure that the Crest of Courage and the Crest of Light had left town, but at least she was sure that they were hunting her down as she had feared for.

Maybe they had underestimated her. Maybe they thought that her retreat was one driven by panic and unwillingness to die against someone incredibly strong.

Which was mostly true, but also false on a simple account. That retreat was a single loss in a war she was aiming to win at all costs.

Her life was expendable to restore the will of the Emperor, and the fear she had felt was quick to falter at the necessity of accomplishing her long-term plans.

And nothing in her path will make her back down from her own dreams. The world was hers to conquer for her liege, and not even the High Prime herself in her battle armor and with a murderous attitude directed at her would get Ifera to stand down.

…

…

Actually, the mere idea of facing the Crest of Wisdom in her peak form was slightly unsettling. For various reasons.

Just as the Coyote Narakhan finished to handle the general outlines of her newest predicament, her attention was drawn away by _a ferocious rack hitting her side and pushing her off the tree._

“How dare you enter this private park, you filthy Narakhan!” The old Park Guard exclaimed furiously. “This isn’t a place that welcomes your kind, you useless-”

“You’re too loud.”

She slammed her elbow onto his head, making him trip and fall back unconscious.

Holding her hurting thigh, Ifera stared furiously at the sleeping form of the pathetic elder that had attacked him.

Now she sure had a reason to spill blood over the city. The intense craving was fueled by the racist slurring that the disappointing sack of bone had decided to deliver up to her and…

She decided against triggering any investigations that might reconnect back to her.

It wouldn’t help her case. Especially with five Crests in this city that could act on her crimes.

The Narakhan merely left the place, annoyed and irritated by the lack of proper retribution, but intrigued by the chance of visiting some good restaurants with the money she had found on the pathetic old fool.

With the rest of her coin stuck in her original headquarters, Ifera had long decided to stay away from the place until she was sure the Crest of Death had lost interest in it.

She would return to pick up her resources once the waters had calmed down… but for now, she was going to delight herself with some delicious Pizza.

While the Humans were considered by her race as something inferior to even the Primes, the fact that they had managed to come up with some delightful cuisine was enough to spare her from reacting harshly at the various families eating in that place

_**Time was still on her side, and then… the opportunity to strike again will come up to her once more. She knew it and she was ready to savor it like that pepperoni Pizza that had conquered her attention.** _

\--------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d-------------

**AN**

**I’m still confused as to why your mother decided to skip today’s session.**

_**I think she’s planning something about your lack of updates for your little story, Bukharin.** _

**Should I be worried?**

_**Maybe. Just like you should once the next chapter to this story arrives.** _

**...Why?**

_**I can’t tell.** _

**...Aren’t you a lovely lady, Nae-**

_**Spare me the sweet words. I will be merciless.** _

**And incredibly huggable-**

_**No hugs for you.** _

**Aww…**


	13. Equals by Wits (1)

**Chapter 13: Equals by Wits (1)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

**~Different POV~**

“Do you understand that I’m already being helpful by limiting your stay at Prism Uni?”

“Yes mother.”

“And that Jackie will surely put me through paperwork hell to confirm your presence for a couple of months?”

“Yes mother.”

…

Naerie dear, I don't understand how you can be so... irked by these circumstances," the older woman mentioned, her light-blue eyes shining with restrained worry over the choice proclaimed by her child.

Under normal normal circumstances, Ambar would’ve been more than happy to give her lonely daughter the chance to make friends and hopefully a boyfriend to bring home.

Heck, she was the one that tried to get some strippers for her baby girl’s twentieth birthday, but the effort had been foiled by Naerie’s own disinterest over that idea.

No, her usually complacent daughter took the opposite route in romance compared to her mother, favoring the fluff over the lewd. Which was scandalous considering how the High Prime was one that preached about free lovin’ and carin’.

Yet the Crest of Wisdom knew that it was alright for a child to take a path slightly different, if not the opposite, to the one walked by their parents.

And Naerie was no exception on this very detail.

An intellectual, a reserved person… Naerie was quite reluctant to stay around people she barely knew about. Accidents had occurred when she had first awakened her powers , and, just like Ambar had expected, her child proved to be as gifted as her mother had been at that young age.

The fear was enough to trigger a trauma the High Prime didn’t want to try to solve, mostly because of how volatile Naerie’s powers were when someone tried to peer over her mind.

But while there were no chances for Naerie to develop friends after that self-imposed mental reclusion, she still managed to keep the single connection she shared with a young fellow she encountered prior the traumatic experience.

Shin Aryoko was barely five when he was first introduced to Naerie.

Both children ended up enjoy each other’s company back then, and it had been nice to poke mirthfully at this detail to either Kate or Bengala every time the Crests went to the Gathering.

It would be a lie from Ambar’s part to say that this kind of situation was overly beneficial for her daughter.

Sure, Naerie didn’t show any signs of relapsing in the memories after almost a decades after the happening of that disastrous event, but her baby girl held a degree of affection directed at the dense Aryoko that could be easily compared to a powder keg ready to explode.

Emotions were a precious thing, especially when those were part of a grand change within one’s life. But not all of them were to be remembered fondly or even positively.

People can also suffer and despair over the past, when the memories dripped of dissatisfaction and… rejection.

Considering Shin a good person was an understatement.

Ambar had the chance of peeking onto the young man’s mind and the blond had a golden heart. He was kind, polite- the upstanding gentleman one would imagine to be taught by someone like Kate Aryoko.

While the Samurai’s discipline was diluted in the progressive mindset displayed by the White Tiger Prime, the sense of duty and respect was there to sharpen up a proper good kid.

The issue?

He wouldn’t lie about something as big as replying to a love confession from someone he only considered a childhood friend.

Naerie didn’t know any of that because of that silly rule of hers ‘Peeking in his mind’ was something she considered a breach of the trust that existed, which was kind of sweet… but also delayed something the High Prime deemed to be inevitable.

Shin was still going to need to speak his opinion, and when that happened… Ambar needed to be there to prevent the worst from happening. She was the only one that knew how to contain the pure psychic power hidden within her daughter.

“I just want to spend more time with Shin now that he is this close to home,” Naerie finally replied with an innocent tone, trying to use her masterful poker face to divert any suspicions off from her.

But just like it was usual in this kind of situation, Ambar easily picked up that it wasn’t the real reason behind this sudden request.

Instead of rebuking by bringing up the truth, she merely sighed and nodded at her daughter.

“I suppose there is nothing wrong with being excited of the chances of being with him,” The High Prime admitted happily. “But I wonder if you should also use this opportunity to get close to Hope. I can tell you two would-”

“Maybe,” The younger Bear Prime remarked, a hint of dryness in her tone catching Ambar before she had the chance of finishing that sentence.

Maybe it was better to push her into that process on a subtler way. It would seem that her daughter was still annoyed that Hope was ‘lucky’ to be there with him.

It was competition, and the rule of ‘no mental peering’ wasn’t extended in regards of the Gazelle Prime. Naerie knew that it wasn’t mere friendship that drove the young Ravenhurst in pursuing a closer bond with their mutual friend.

“What about his roommates? I’ve heard Mr. Parker shares the room with Shin together with a friendly Cat Prime.”

And that seemed to defuse whatever frustration her mentioning of Naerie’s love rival had brought to her daughter.

“The human?” She inquired calmly, glancing and accepting a nod from her mother before taking a moment to ponder about the query. “I guess he is… odd.”

The Crest of Wisdom frowned. “Odd, dearie?”

“I don’t know why but… I couldn’t get beyond his mental surface when I looked at him.”

“Yes, I do remember that you brought this up that very day,” Ambar said while smiling, remembering that it was part of the reason why she felt rather lucky of having pushed the Deputy Headmistress to accept the ‘unique’ young man. “But I don’t see how that makes up for a good way to describe someone you have yet to met.”

“Then I should first met him before making a clear judgment of him,” The calm Bear Prime rebuked neutrally.

“And I agree. Which is why I think you should try to get to know him,” The grinning redhead said with a mirthful tone. “I’m sure he bonded well with Shin, and that should be a good incentive to check on him.”

A faux advice, one that was meant to divert Naerie from her ‘main objective’ into making sure her daughter got more friends and more emotional support out of this opportunity.

There was a chance, a minimal one, that could easily blow up at her face if failed. But if it succeeded, then Ambar would’ve to worry less of chances regarding the lonely girl snapping and unleashing her hidden potential in a destructive manner.

There was no rush just yet, but it was only for correct from her part to make some preparations for that eventual fallout.

Which is why there was now a giddy thought being tossed around in her brain at this unique development and Ambar regarded her daughter with a wider smile.

“What if we go and check the dorms today?”

Naerie flashed a brief glint of surprise through her eyes. “Today? But what if-”

“Sweetie, it’s just us checking on the dorms. You’re not going at the lectures just yet,” The High Prime interrupted eagerly. “Plus, you get a chance to talk with Shin and get to know Mr. Parker.”

The young woman looked unsure for a moment, her stare turning away as she contemplate the pros and cons of accepting and refusing the offer given to her.

“I… I guess it would be alright.”

Ambar nodded. “Great! Then we can start going already and-”

“Mother, don’t you have paperwork to do?”

The question managed to dampen a little much the enthusiasm shown by the older Bear Prime, but the Crest merely shrugged.

“I will delegate to someone else.”

“Mother-”

“Come on, hun. You know that mommy needs a few hours of walking around without being nagged by world problems,” Ambar interjected. “Plus, nothing bad can happen from being away just for a little while.”

“Fine-”

“Yay!” The older woman giggled as she stood up from her chair and quickly went to get hold of her daughter’s hands with hers. “And now, let’s go and explore~!”

“Mother-”

“Shush, child! This is a good day to be skipping wo- I mean, making new friends and checking on old ones!”

For legitimate reasons, Ambar was sure that her little diversion from giving out the real motivation that saw her ditch her office for today wasn’t taken seriously by her daughter.

_**Clever girl.** _

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**~Hope’s POV~**

A full day had gone by ever since Shin’s family decided to come here at Prism. It was truly a surprise to see how things had gone from ‘dramatic’ to ‘fine’ all because of some careful diplomacy from everyone present in that awkward ‘first contact’.

But now, as the school day was over and the family was back to explore some more the complex of building owned by Prism Uni together with them, things were the calmest possible.

“I assume your studies are going well too, Hope,” Kate Aryoko said as she turned her attention away from her son.

The woman had been inquiring some more about her child’s progress in these first few days with extra details, and she was pleased to learn that Shin was doing as well as anyone that knew him could’ve expected.

But now the ball was passed at the green-eyed girl and It was only natural for the conversation for it to not be limited to just mother and son considering the rest of the people walking through the corridor.

Bengala was distracted from this discussion as he was busy helping out Miles by giving him some suggestions over the creation of a training Schedule.

The Cat Prime was paying a considerable amount of attention despite his early reluctance to the situation, but Hope could easily connect it to him being ‘emboldened’ by Bengala’s natural charisma.

Despite the fact the Tiger Prime wasn’t using his Crest on the younger man, it was also known that his capacity to offer good pep talks was entering in action right with the interested student.

Smiling and nodding at the Crest of Light, the young Gazelle Prime held the calmest composure she could muster. “I have some minor issues with two subjects. Shin is helping me with those.”

“It’s good to know that you’re already working on solving these flaws. One should never allow any issues of the kind to linger beyond this first ‘introduction’ year,” Kate remarked kindly about the predicament.

With the news that her son could actually visit whenever he wanted, and the same was applied to them, most of her uneasiness was gone and a more peaceful attitude replaced her previous one.

It was a good development. It was something that set her up for a successful bid to make a positive impression with Shin’s parents.

And while it was true that this wasn’t the first time he met them, the current circumstance weren’t the same as before. Right now she wasn’t the daughter of family’s friends.

Right now Hope was _that_ and also a close friend to their son, which meant that she also passed as a passive minder that would keep the young man out of any trouble as he studied away from home.

“What about Frankie-nii, Hope-nee?”

Hikari’s voice caught the Ravenhurst by surprise and her green eyes reached to the girl she had partly forgotten about.

“What about… Frankie?”

“Shouldn’t he be done with lectures too?” The girl asked with a hint of impatience and curiosity.

It was odd to think that the human would’ve been so quick to get this close to the young Prime, but it was also true that Frankie seemed to have a degree of knowledge in handling children from the way he spoke and acted around Shin’s little sister.

“Frankie has yet to finish a lecture about Cooking, but he should be done in about twenty minutes from now,” Shin replied on her stead, drawing attention to himself. “It’s the only class he doesn’t share with any of us… well, anyone except for Tiggs.”

“Carmesi’s daughter?” His mother inquired, only for Hope to shake her head.

“That’s Vixy,” The Gazelle Prime corrected calmly. “Tiggs is the… bigger girl.”

“The one Frankie-nii likes to hug a lot!” Hikari proclaimed, making Kate look at her with a confused look.

“Hug a lot?”

“They are rather close with their friendship,” Shin remarked with a tiny frown. “It’s quite strange since I thought that was only what couples would do but… they both seemed to keep it friendly at best.”

“I think it’s because Frankie knows many people belittled Tiggs for her size, and that prompts him to-”

“It’s her soft fur,” Miles quipped dryly. “And she likes to be pampered like that. Nothing that deep.”

Hope frowned at that interruption, glancing at the Cat Prime. “How do you know that?”

“I asked them both in different occasions,” He replied quickly. “I think they both know that going for that reasoning would just leave some meaningless hurt happen. Tiggs isn’t having any trouble of that kind anymore and she just enjoys this close friendship with Frankie.”

“It’s unique, but not truly that strange to hear about,” Kate admitted with a nod. “I’m surprised, but not by much considering that I had the chance of meeting… odder people.”

The curious comment drew an interested look out of Hope, Shin, and Hikari, while Miles happily returned his attention to his discussion with Bengala.

But before anyone could’ve asked for an answer about that mysterious allusion, the sound of footsteps got their attention back to who was coming towards them from the direction they were walking to.

“Hello~!”

Greeting as jovially as she could, the High Prime continued to approach them with the biggest of grins on her face. Ambar wasn’t as close as a friend to Hope’s mother as Kate and Bengala were.

Mostly because of how busy her line of work was, the Crest of Wisdom was hardly capable of investing time in visiting some of her fellow Crests. Thus it was quite a mystery for Hope to know the kind of family the Bear Prime had, or what kind of person among friends she actually was.

Beside her, Naerie, her daughter, followed the same pace adopted by her mother while her impassive stare was directed at… Shin?

It wasn’t much of a surprise since she was a friend with him but there was something odd about the intensity of the stare. Something that went a tiny bit beyond mere friendship.

“Ambar, I wasn’t expecting you to-”

“Come here and delight you all with my gorgeous presence?” The happy Bear Prime finished for the Crest of Light. “Neither I was. In fact, the reason that takes me here is… about my baby girl.”

“Mother-” Naerie started, her tone as dull as usual to address the petname used by her parent.

While the young red-haired woman looked incredibly difficult to read emotional-wise, she still had the same issues everyone with teasing parents had from the looks of it.

“Naerie will be studying at Prism Uni for a whole year to get a degree in Advanced Nanozell Engineering.”

…Was that even a degree?

Hope had read the pamphlet once or twice in a while before starting college, but she should’ve noticed something as modern and recent as this new degree.

“Oh, I’m… happy,” Shin commented, a mix of surprise and confusion fluttering from his voice. “I’m glad that you decided to study here, Naerie. I’m sure you will be fine here at Prism Uni!”

Further confusion swelled in Hope’s mind as she took notice of the barely visible blush on Naerie’s fur at those words.

“Thank you, Shin. I hope you will… help me if I need assistance.”

“Of course!” The blond replied eagerly. “You’re one of my closest friends. In fact, if you need help do indulge and check on our dorm room.”

The blush grew in its intensity, and now the Gazelle Prime was certain that this little interaction was sign of something problematic she hadn’t expected to find now that she was so close from attaining Shin’s affection.

A love rival. The ultimate obstacle to a love story, and the reason why Hope was always careful to check on any girls that had been endeared by Shin’s dense charisma.

None went to ever poise an issue to Hope in her own bid for love, especially with how shy Shin was regarding all those that weren’t friends before the school years.

Still, trying to keep quite and pray for the problem to go away on its own was childish and counter-productive with her plans. No, she needed to put up a front and hopefully nothing wrong would come out of this.

“Shin told me many good things about you, Naerie,” Hope finally spoke, her voice betraying none of the inner teeth-gnawing that preceded her words. “And I will wish for you to find this experience as peaceful and nice as possible.”

Her light blue eyes moved away from Shin’s face and right to Hope’s green eyes.

At first, the young Ravenhurst felt nothing from those bored eyes. But then… something made her tense up.

Surprise replaced confusion, and then it was once more replaced by panic as she couldn’t help but realize what was going on.

Having just heard of the phenomenon before, Hope felt dread forcing her to pale a little at the intrusion of her mind. It was more invasive than anything she had heard about, and the fact that Naerie was doing this through her connection to Wisdom without asking for consent was enough to worry Hope about her secret plans.

The stare continued, as intense as it began, and her worries only increased the more time passed without anyone intervening and stopping the Bear Prime from digging deeper in her mind.

The pressure was so intense that she barely felt a hand reaching for her shoulder and settling there. But then Hope heard someone speak close to her mere moments after, his voice shaking her off from that standoff.

“Hello.”

The single word snapped her out of that dreadful predicament and she recognized it as-

“Frankie?”

The human smiled at her half-query, but his lips didn’t held any of the happiness she knew his smiles for. It was empty, almost fake and hurtful to anyone that expected his usual genuineness at work.

And his eyes were… so stern-looking and directed so intensely at Naerie.

The Bear Prime couldn’t help but turn to greet him with a stare, but nothing seemed from emerge from that.

The tension was there, and everyone was surprised as Frankie managed to hold well against the pressure.

_**One can only wonder what was going on inside his head at the moment and… what Naerie was seeing there.** _

\--------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----------

I hadn’t expected for things to take this unexpected turn.

The cooking lecture with Professor Cracco had gone smoothly. It was nothing special as our first one, and it didn’t end with the dish we had prepared to be sent to the cafeteria.

Tiggs and I were still satisfied with the result of our hard work, and even the teacher was happy with what we presented to him.

Preparing some Strawberry Sundaes to fill up the request for a ‘refreshing desert for Summertime’ was fairly easier than any of the previous tasks, but it sure received a little more criticism from before from the teacher over every elements making part of it.

Overall it was a delicious treat, but the timing of the icing and the presence of the strawberry syrup could’ve been planned a little better.

Still, it was labeled an 8/10 by the teacher and we went out of his classroom with a relieved look plastered on our faces.

The next step for today was returning to our respective dorm room and prepare for a little excursion to the sea-side restaurant Tiggs heard about where the food was incredibly delicious.

‘Shark Bites’ wasn’t a big name I could recognize, and I wasn’t much tempted by seafood in general, but I wasn’t going to say no to anything a fellow ‘food specialist’ considered worth of trying.

It was just as we turned the corner to reach the dorms that we stopped to find the curious group we decided to ultimately approach.

Restraining myself from currently saying if this was a good change or not, I still continued to look deeply in Naerie’s eyes.

Something about those eyes felt incredibly odd. Not just because of how dull her expression was and… how expressive it all felt to be at first glance.

A strange emotion for sure, but not one that I was completely certain to pinpoint as something I had felt before.

I had stared at Naerie before, and she had stared back at me in that single occasion. But right now I felt like something was different about it.

Things felt much ‘clearer’ than before as I tried to study the girl’s impassive look to try and discern why Hope felt this nervous under her stare.

I knew that something was off about it, but I had yet to discern ‘what’ was off about it.

“Mr. Parker,” Ambar finally spoke up, her grin still there as she addressed us. “And… Ms. Biggs?”

“Lady Ambar,” I replied distractedly, my glance still fixed on his daughter’s eyes.

“Ms. High Prime,” Tiggs replied happily beside me. “It’s an honor.”

“Nonsense, dear,” The Crest of Wisdom rebuked. “An honor is to meet some stiff-looking old fools that prance about respect and dutifulness.”

“Good thing that you’re not ‘that’,” Kate dryly remarked, getting a sheepish look out of the Bear Prime.

“I-I wasn’t referring about you,” The Bear Prime corrected herself. “I was just referencing those famous people that just go around and-”

“Be good members of society?” The Crest of Light pressed on, almost teasingly much to Ambar’s chagrin.

“Hun, aren’t you being a little bit tough on the poor Bear?” Bengala inquired mirthfully. “She is just trying to break the ice.”

“Oh, that I did years ago,” The Crest of Wisdom muttered, only to realize what she just said. “Anyway, Hikari! I see you’ve grown since I last saw you.”

The girl giggled. “Hi, Lady Ambar!”

“Auntie is fine, dearie. There’s no need to be this formal.”

Hikari nodded, her smile still up as the woman turned to address the troublesome situation I was still embroiled into.

“Naerie, can you please stop staring so lovingly to poor Mr. Parker? I’m sure he is blushing underneath that tough look.”

The comment was so incredibly wrong, but I was quite sure it managed to get out of both Naerie and I the wanted reaction.

We both stared away and… right to Ambar as the Bear Prime. “My, oh my- maybe I was a little bit wrong?”

“A little bit?” I muttered back with a frown.

“Mother can be… silly sometimes,” The younger redhead mentioned.

“Oh, I can kind of relate. My mom can be quite… teasing herself when she wants to,” I admitted with a sympathetic tone. “In fact, she was the one that sent the documentation to seek acceptance at Prism Uni.”

Much to my surprise, Naerie offered me a quick nod at that.

“They mean well, but it would help if they spoke to us first.”

“It would save us many worries and prevent many problems that need solving.”

The growing agreement over this topic ended up bringing me to smile at our exchange.

“I don’t think we’ve introduced each other properly,” I commented calmly, stretching my hands towards her. “I’m Frankie.”

She stared at my waiting palm for a couple of quiet moments, but then she reached out and gave it a shake. “I’m Naerie, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.”

…

“Ambar, you’re awfully quiet about this situation,” Bengala pointed out quietly, his words barely reaching our ears.

The High Prime was giving us an awkward but irked look over what just happened, and she started her response with a huff.

“I don’t know how to feel about this,” The Bear Prime commented with an uncertain tone. “On the one hand, I’m glad Naerie is making a new friend… but I find it highly disconcerting how they are bonding over how 'nagging' me and Mr. Parker's mother are.”

“I think it’s fitting,” Kate remarked mirthfully. “It’s just correct for you to experience this bit of parenthood.”

“What does… what?”

Bengala and Kate merely shared a chuckle together much to the growing confusion from the fellow Crest.

And while the adults kept on with their conversation, I noticed Hikari tugging at my sleeve to try and get my attention.

“Frankie-nii, did you and Tiggs cook something good at the lecture?”

I blinked at the unexpected question, glancing up for a brief moment at the Tiger Faunus to check on her reaction. Surprise, but giddiness flashed from her eyes at the good topic and I decided to give a proper answer to it.

“We didn’t exactly cook anything. We just prepared a couple of dessert to fit with the task for today, which was to prepare sweet treats for summer,” I replied quietly. “We settled for Strawberry Sundaes-”

“You two can make Sundaes?” Hope interrupted with a degree of interest, her eyes shining in a weird light.

I felt tensing up, same reaction unfolding for Tiggs as the two of us were taken off-guard by that quick question.

“Yes?” I replied with a tentative tone.

“Good.”

…

There was no continuation to that, and I turned to Shin for some answers.

“Sundaes are Hope’s favorite desserts,” The blond responded, solving the little mystery while also causing the Gazelle Prime to blush at the little revelation.

That was an interesting detail to know and-

“I like dark chocolate.”

Glancing back at Naerie, I addressed her comment with a nod. “I think there are enough ingredients in the Cooking Classroom to prepare something like this next time Professor Cracco asks us for a dessert. I will ask him if we can bring the results to our friends.”

Part of me was unsure how I was supposed to tackle that swift insertion, but I realized that we were excluding the Bear Prime. And while I was still unsure as to why Naerie seemed quite irked by Hope, I couldn’t see any genuine hint of maliciousness from this introduction.

A fright? Yes. But outright suspicions of her having ill intentions towards someone? Debatable at best, improbable at worst.

_**Oh boy, if I had been just a little bit more mindful about the fact that you don't need to truly hate someone to play terrible tricks on them, then what happened after this introduction wouldn't have gotten so... messy.** _

**\-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-**

**AN**

_**I really dislike how you end up treating my capacity as a parent.** _

**I consider you an excellent parent, but you’re more of the ‘dads joke’ kind without being a father.**

_**Ouch, that is kind of mean.** _

**The truth can sting sometimes.**

_**Prick.** _

**Bite me, Care Bear!**

_**Don’t mind me if I comply~!** _

**No- wait, I didn’t mean to-**

‘ **The author was then recovered in an undisclosed location, once again having been struck by the** _**kind treatment** _ **of a caring Crest.’**


	14. Equals by Wits (2)

**Chapter 14: Equals by Wits (2)**

**Beta-Reader (Minus Lemon): Ant0nius**

**Warning : This chapter has a lemon.**

Despite how awkward Naerie’s introduction went, the rest of the day seemed to regain a shine of normalcy that was more than welcomed by everyone.

The new student was given a quick tour of the dormitories, with her pale blue eyes taking in the entirety of the places the group ended up checking. She looked interested, but at the same time distracted and slightly annoyed.

I knew that Hope was her target for that last emotion, but I couldn’t tell why she was so irked with the Gazelle Prime.

Disregarding any further attempts to investigate the matter, I decided to better spend that time entertaining a giggling Hikari. The girl decided to keep close to Tiggs, and the young woman took this chance to keep her in a close embrace as we continued walking around.

Lady Ambar and Shin’s father were quick to offer sudden and half-lewd comments about the matter, gaining the ire of their respective children and of Ms. Aryoko.

The sight was indeed amusing, considering how light-hearted it seemed to be from a safe distance. It was that very scene that saw Miles holding back from joining the poor adults in that situation, somehow understanding that it was best not to anger our roommate’s mother.

Kate was… devastating towards Bengala and the High Prime. Both Primes were quick to cave under the sight offered by the stern blonde, with the woman dealing the worst towards her husband considering their connection.

I cracked a smile at the predicament, but I was more entertained by the way both Tiggs and Hikari giggled at the matter. The melodious sound provided for a pleasant state of ease.

For me, at least.

While this unfolded, I finally took notice of an individual’s plight over the overall situation.

Hope looked incredibly uneasy. I could tell it had to do with the large group of ‘intruders’ for what could’ve been a good opportunity to get a better standing in front of her love interest’s parents ended up in something friendly and impossible to exploit for such a manner. Which is why she kept her interactions limited at best as she tried to prepare for any further escalation with Naerie.

After a couple of minutes had gone by since this hilarious scene, I ended up being asked a few questions by Kate herself.

The woman brought up the fact that I had yet to do her the favor she had mentioned the day before, and I was brought before quite the bizarre request.

Holding the sheathed form of one of her katanas in front of me, the blonde asked me to pick it and reveal it.

I was confused at first, and partly worried as I noticed the surprised looks coming from Bengala, Ambar, and Shin.

The rest looked as confused as I was at hearing this unexpected favor.

Despite the strange omen, I still decided to go through with the seemingly easy request.

Grasping at the middle section of the sword and at the hilt, I carefully started to remove the blade from its cover.

Now, I wasn’t expecting much from this. It was a simple task. One that shouldn’t create much of a problem for me to achieve.

And yet, something strange did happen. Something that left me baffled, confused, and… tense.

It was a glimpse of the pure white blade, something reflected onto my face and… I saw blue.

An intense flash of color had me paralyzed for a moment, just long enough for the woman to take a step forward and push the blade back completely inside the sheath.

“Just as I suspected,” The Cat Prime muttered cryptically, and… said nothing else about the matter.

I didn’t ask, I just… couldn’t. Something held me back from formulating any logical thought about the matter.

The group had mixed reactions to this, with the ‘strongest’ being from Lady Ambar as she regarded the same with a strangely happy hum and a nod.

“Interesting.”

Naerie was shortly behind, but hers was devoid of any understandable comments. I just could tell that something shocked her as much as I was in that particular moment.

This absurd episode seemed to be ignored for the most part, but I could tell from Miles’ glances and Hope’s soft nudges by my elbow that this would be brought up in a better moment.

In the end, just as Hikari started yawning and Lady Ambar received a message to return back to her office, the little congregation was dissolved in the most amiable of ways and without any further developments.

Shin decided to walk his family back at the hotel they were staying to. Since it was their last day visiting Prism, it was fine for him to do so and… this left Hope, Miles, Tiggs, and I.

We decided to continue walking until we were back at the Gazelle’s dormroom to drop her off, and then back at room I shared with the Cat Prime and the White Tiger Prime to leave off the former.

It was clear that Hope had expected more from this instance, and yet she was glad that she got ‘at least something to work with from now on’.

The optimism was matched with positive remarks from the rest of the group, but I made a mental note to check on her the next morning if things were really alright.

I didn’t get the chance to stay for long in the dorm-room as I had to keep my promise with Tiggs about visiting that restaurant by the beach.

The big girl went back to her room, confirming this little situation with Vixy before we left Prism Uni for our planned dinner.

Part of me was tempted to childishly label this a date but, considering how none of us was interested in progressing this relationship into romantic water, I felt more inclined to see it more as a hang out for food-lovers.

We were already by the streets, most of the people already leaving their workplaces to make a safe return home. Despite the darkening of the sky, I couldn’t help but find the sight all around us quite homely, if not another proof of how peaceful the capital of the Newer Continent was.

Still, while I had expected for the quiet conversation we were having as we walked to our destination to not escalate and bring up any sore topics, I was delivered a surprising question from a curious and slightly concerned Tiggs.

“By the way, do you feel alright after… what happened with Ms. Aryoko?” The Tiger Prime inquired with a hint of worry. “I mean, I know I should’ve asked before, but I… sorry, it’s just that I can’t get rid of what I saw there.”

I frowned at her words and, thinking back of what I ‘saw’ in that glint, I knew that I had to tell someone about what happened there.

I just couldn’t resist.

So I allowed a sigh out of my lips before giving a genuine response.

“I’m fine. I think,” I admitted with some uncertainty. “I don’t feel sick, nor I need to rest for a moment. It’s just that… I’m confused. About what I saw there.”

…

“And… what did you see?” Tiggs pressed on, her green eyes giving me an intense look as she waited for a response to that.

“Fire,” I confessed curtly, shrugging at her ensuing confused stare. “I saw… a fire engulfing everything around me. There was nobody and… I was angry. And freaking out a lot.”

“That sounds a little more than ‘confusion’,” The young woman pointed out and I sighed.

“I… I don’t know. I just don’t feel ready to dive into it so quickly,” I stared away from her, looking in front of us. “I will give it a better look once I get a full night of rest. Maybe after a cold shower.”

The girl hummed, her mood strangely changing at these last words. I was planning to ask her about it, but her sudden intervention to aim at the now-visible restaurant at the entrance of the beach quickly stopped me.

And I did let out a tiny yelp as she unsuspectingly started to pick up the pace, taking my hand in hers and pulling me around.

The sight had to have looked embarrassing, but thankfully it didn’t last for long as we finally arrived at our destination.

The place wasn’t as big as I had expected. I could count at least six tables inside, and three tables outside by the sand. The building looked to be well-maintained and I could tell that one of the factors that contributed to its growing popularity were the… waitresses.

The yellow uniform with green and red details was made by a top that left much to look at, and a simple sarong that barely reached their knees.

I quickly realized that Tiggs was enticed by a curious detail, and when she noticed that I was looking at her and frowning at her happy reaction, I saw a red hint coloring her cheeks while she tried to hide her interest behind a nervous chuckle.

“T-They look beautiful.”

I contemplated pressing about this, but I merely nodded. “They sure do,” I admitted calmly.

And that response ended up damning me as the blue-haired girl took it as an opportunity to hit back at me.

“Oh really? I guess you’re used to this.”

Tensing up, I remembered that I was accustomed to this kind of stuff since many restaurants back home had it. The embarrassment born from seeing women in this kind of clothes kinda falters after years of frequenting some of these kinds of places.

“Y-Yeah?”

Tiggs giggled, but like I did with her, she restrained herself from keeping on with the playful teasing.

We entered inside the building, quickly approaching the counter and greeting the Orca Prime behind it.

“Good evening. We wished to know if there is availability for a table for two,” I started saying with a nod, getting an amused smile off from the old woman.

“I suppose it’s a date?”

“N-No, we just came here to try out the food here,” The Tiger Prime replied quickly. “We’re best buddies.”

I nodded, supporting the claim. But despite the dual effort, the owner giggled at our rebuttal.

“Understood-” We could clearly see from her mirthful tone that she didn’t. “Table Four is currently free. You may sit there, and I will see to send you someone to pick up your orders.”

We calmly reached the mentioned table and took a seat in two of the seats there. Tiggs quietly took one of the menus, and I followed her example shortly after as we started checking over the available dishes.

Just as expected, the menu was based on sea-food, with some minor mentions of basic snacks like fries.

“Did you notice that there is something odd with the menu?”

The question got me to look up at my partner in food-testing, a frown adorning my face as she had her menu turned around as she aimed at several dishes at once.

Furikake Salmon Bowl, Moqueca, Moroccan Salmon-

I stared back at my own menu, and indeed there was a large variety of food from different kinds of cuisines.

This decision seemed a bit odd. It could potentially destroy an activity if the chef is unable to keep up with the large diversity offered by the menu. I was shocked, and so was Tiggs as I stared back at her.

“Did you… know that this was a thing?”

She shook her head. “I just knew from some of the girls at practice that this place was amazing… but do you think they can pull it off?”

It was reasonable to believe they couldn’t. It was easier to find an overly-ambitious chef than someone that good. So I decided to make a tactical decision on the matter.

“We could test whoever is working in the kitchen,” I proposed calmly. “We pick two different dishes, they have to be from different cuisines as well… and we see if they manage the multi-tasking competently.”

The Tiger Prime hummed, pondering this offer and… nodding. “On the one hand, this could potentially destroy the place, but if they are legit, I don’t see why we shouldn’t give them some ‘support’ by asking for their most expensive dishes.”

I was mostly supportive of that analysis, but then Tiggs had to bring up the ‘expensive’ addition to it.

We could afford it but… I hadn’t made plans to leave a dent on my available funds for fun during my stay here at Prism.

Still… I didn’t want to sound too cheap. So I went along with it and nodded.

“Also,” The big girl added with a small frown on her face. “Shouldn’t a waitress be coming our way by now or-”

“Hello!”

The sudden chirpy voice caused both of us to jump. I turned around to address the origin of the loud greeting, and I was met with one of the waitresses of the restaurant.

She was around my height. The Dolphin Prime looked pretty young and jovial, her long pink hair trailed down her back in a single long pony-tail while her orange eyes stared inquisitively at the two of us.

Before I could speak, her eyes widened in strange realization. “Oh? Did I interrupt your lovey-dovey? I’m sorry, I can be clumsy from time to time.”

The apology was delivered for a completely wrong reason, and I gawked at that misunderstanding.

“We’re not- We’re just good friends!”

Tiggs nodded, emulating the situation we had at the counter, but this time the waitress seemed to understand the situation.

“Really? Miss Valdeas said you were, just that you weren’t... ready?”

I facepalmed, while the Tiger Prime shook her head at this. “We’re best buddies.”

The comment gained quite the awed reaction from the waitress as her eyes widened in fascination and she… squealed.

“Is that so? I can tell you two are really close!”

Tiggs nodded, sporting a bright smile. “Of all the guys I know, I trust him the most.”

And that was something I hadn’t been aware about until now. I turned back to look at Traci with a surprised look and… I smiled happily. “And you’re the… second girl I trust the most.”

She pouted. “Second?”

“Sorry, Tiggs. Mom is the one I trust the most.”

The response warranted an amused snort. “I want to be angry at that, but I too trust my mom more than anyone else.”

I chuckled, and that got a few giggles out of there. I still can’t believe I ended up finding someone so adorable and trustworthy.

The odds are amazing right now for a good year.

Turning back on the waitress, I gave a quick apology that she swiftly accepted before she asked for our orders.

We went through with our plan, the young woman clueless about what we had in store for the chef of the place. Despite the stumbling over the ‘first step’, she didn’t seem to have done anything wrong yet and I was starting to feel bad about the chances of us being wrong about the overzealous chef in the kitchens.

Twenty minutes quickly passed by, and soon we were brought the four dishes we had asked for.

It was the previous waitress that led the duo, with the taller woman following her behind to the table.

The Shark Prime had a salmon-pink complex, brown hair trailing freely to her lower back. Her green eyes offered a glint of seriousness and levelheadness.

“Here’s your orders. I hope everything is alright,” The new individual muttered, getting a nod from us.

“That was quick,” I pointed out with a degree of awe.

“The chef is quite experienced. Boss asks him to work here from time to time during the hours people visit the most,” The brunette answered readily. “Still, I have to ask. Boss said you two were some sort of young couple, but Xea’s here say you two are buddies. What’s the truth, mates?”

This waitress was quite blunt about situations like this, but I just shrugged and allowed Tiggs to reply this time around.

At this point, I was feeling like this was becoming something of a game for us to go through with a turn system.

“Frankie and I are friends.”

They both nodded at the simple response.

“Okay, I guess the boss is just being a mischievous lady once again,” The tall woman confirmed. “Reminds me of when Xeanica and I got together when she left us to deal with a hellish shift.”

Xeanica’s eyes widened in remembrance. “I remember that! Calypso took most of the tasks since I was a little sick, and then kept me company when we were done with the shift.”

“I mean, you did your own assignments too. You weren’t just standing there doing nothing,” Calypso rebuked softly, putting an arm around the shorter Prime’s shoulders.

With that interaction it was clear that both were quite close to each other.I was quick to assume it wasn’t merely friendship from the way they both blushed as Xeanica took the opportunity to lean her head on her fellow waitress’ shoulder.

Silence took over for a while, but soon someone decided to intrude and interrupt the scene.

“Xea, Caly, I don’t remember Edna giving you permission to skip work right now,” Someone called out from behind the two, and both Tiggs and I tensed up as we knew this voice from somewhere else.

“Sorry, sir. Just lost ourselves speaking with these fine mates,” Calypso explained. “We will be going now. Don’t want the boss to get angry at us.”

As the two waitress left for their duties, we were left to look at the unexpected appearance of-

“Professor Cracco?” Tiggs asked quietly, her eyes wide open.

“Yes, Ms. Biggs,” The Cooking Professor replied, his early grimace on his face soon fading away to show a simple smile. “I see that you and Mr. Parker decided to spend some time together at the ‘Shark Bites’.”

“I… I heard that the food is nice here.”

“That is indeed the truth. Mind you, while I’m the one making most of the recipes, there are some brilliant chef-in-training here,” The man replied with a nod. “Still, I hope that the girls didn’t distract you or anything-”

“No, they were just… friendlier than I expected” I answered honestly. “Also, Professor... we didn’t know that you have another job.”

The professional chef sighed. “It’s not much of a job. I’m just helping the owner, which I consider a close friend of mine.”

We both nodded at this. Still, I remembered that the restaurant was far from close and we were keeping the chef from making new dishes.

“Sir, I suppose we can discuss this another time.”

The teacher looked ready to inquire about this sudden dismissal, but then his eyes widened in realization and he nodded at my subtle reminder.

“Y-yes. I will be more than happy to share a conversation next time we’ve lesson, after I’m done with the lecture,” The man accepted. “I’ll be heading back to the kitchen now.”

Tiggs and I nodded at the hasty retreat, and we were finally left alone… with the dishes we had ordered.

I stared down at the Spicy Miso Ramen with Roasted Chili Salmon. The addition of mushrooms and scallions boosted the flavor in the noodles, and I could tell from the aroma alone that Professor Cracco made a flawless dish out of it.

Next was the Seared Hawaiian Ono with Honey Soy Glaze and fresh Pineapple Salsa. The plate was small to accommodate the tiny dish. I had decided against getting anything too heavy, knowing that the two of them were tough enough to make for a troublesome digestion if I started to eat them all too quickly.

Surprisingly enough, the Tiger Prime had taken a similar approach.

The first dish in front of her was Baked Cod with Lemon and Thyme. It looked absolutely delicious, but it’s size was far less than the Miso Ramen.

The same could also be said about her Seared Scallops with coconut lemongrass sauce. In this particular plate from the Thai cuisine, the Halibut was replaced by black cod, with the plate being the same size as the first one.

We both studied each other’s plates, nodding once we were done and… the rest of the dinner was devoid of any other interruptions.

Conversing around how things had been with studies and other stuff ended up dragging the meal for little more than an hour, and soon we decided to ask for a paycheck and, once we paid for our respective meals, we started going back to Prism Uni.

_**But of course, the night was young and we forgot about something important.** _

\-----------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d--

“The dorms are closed off,” I muttered grimly.

We had arrived just ten minutes after the curfew entered in action. While the campus wasn’t truly closed, the security system around it was perfectly active and keeping watch for anyone trying to enter inside the area.

If we tried to get inside the dorms, things would only end up badly for the two of us.

Tiggs hummed quietly as she leaned back on the bench we were sitting by.

The small park area near to the campus was devoid of cameras, and so it was a good place where to temporarily stay and plan out a way to enter inside.

There was no way we were sleeping there. Not with how cold this night was.

I was shivering as I turned back to address the girl and Tiggs was faring better just because of her natural fur.

“Do you think we can try entering from the main building?” The girl asked, and I thought about it for a while.

There were two ways to access the dorms. The first was from the proper entrance that was currently being monitored by the senseless amount of cameras around. The other one was the connection between the front entrance of the school and the dorms area.

The latter option was still rendered difficult by cameras, but the amount was less and those were placed in sections of the rooms that left a couple of blind spots around. As much as this seemed ideal, it was also true that some Nanozell Spirits were dispatched to patrol the zone during nighttime.

So yes, we were pretty much screwed at this point.

“The surveillance is mad there too,” I concluded with a groan.

Tiggs huffed. “I’m sorry.”

…

“What?” I inquired quietly.

“If I had planned the visit for lunch, then maybe things wouldn't have taken so long,” She explained with a sad look. “I messed up things for us both.”

…

“Tiggs?”

Her green eyes locked onto me as I stared up at her. “You’re not to blame.”

She gave a tiny smile, and I continued.

“I think if there is blame, we equally share it,” I admitted placidly. “You could’ve planned this better… but I could’ve also proposed it myself.”

A hum left the Tiger Prime. “I invited you.”

“And I could’ve thought more about it and prevented us both from going through this,” I rebuked quietly. “I didn’t say you weren’t at fault. It’s just that we both are wrong in this.”

The cool breeze that struck us seemed to drop the temperature even more. The chills intensified, and Tiggs took notice of those.

“Do you… need a hug?”

I didn’t say anything, and I just moved closer for a silent embrace.

The girl didn’t speak as we both tried to think of a way to deal with this problem. Surely there has to be a way for the two of us to deal with this.

A blink, then two… and finally an idea popped into my head.

“Traci, do you remember telling me about the supply room you and the other cheerleaders use to keep the equipment used during practice?”

The question drew a perplexed look from the girl. “Yeah?”

“Do you remember if it has a heat generator too?”

…

“I think it does.”

At this possibility, I turned my gaze through the few bushes between us and the large field used for running. It was the place commonly assigned to the cheerleaders, and there, on the opposite side of it, was the small building in question.

Traci perfectly understood what I was planning to do, and we both paced towards the only chance we got to spend the night out of the dorms without freezing.

Once we were inside the tiny warehouse, I checked for any cameras that could bust this bubble, but much to our collective relief there was none.

The heating generator we needed was indeed there, but it was old and took a while to activate. The results were still undeniably positive as we soon were blessed with hot air fighting back the chilling temperature of this dark night.

All in all, this was still a success.

One that quickly turned strange as soon as I decided to turn the light of the place off as to not attract the attention of any Nanozell spirits deciding to patrol around.

While the decision itself wasn’t bizarre, the development of keeping close to Tiggs to keep her company partly was.

Lying on one of the old mattresses there, I served as a warm pillow for the big girl to rest on. Her head was safely nestled on my chest, with the top unconsciously nuzzling on my chin. My arms were wrapped around her upper waist, slightly below her bosom in an effort to keep close but not be too touchy about it.

There would’ve been silence to rule that peacefulness, but the heat generator let out groan-like noises from time to time, drawing attention to it from time to time.

We were both staring around, either trying to find something interesting to get distracted with, or to keep an eye for anyone passing by.

It was a calm scene, but some tension was still there to keep us on the edge.

An hour, maybe two passed by like this. It was a slow night for sure and… then I felt Tiggs shuffling on me.

“Frankie… are you still awake?”

Her voice brought me out of my silent thinking and I hummed quietly. The Tiger Prime turned her head to look at my face and I stared down to her curious eyes.

“Do you… think we will get in trouble tomorrow?”

Considering how the system here worked? Probably not.

It wouldn’t be the first time someone tried sleeping outside of Prism Uni because of a party. Nobody checked if people were already sleeping or not by the dorms, and the only way to get caught was by trying to enter the rooms before five in the morning.

Since many of the school’s students preferred to live out of the campus, there was no ordinance that prevented younger students from spending the night out.

So until we weren’t discovered together in that supply room? We were Gucci as far as I was concerned.

“No,” I assured her with a calm tone. “I think this… will be a fun story to tell in a couple of years from now. When teachers can’t do much about it, that is.”

Sighing in relief, Tiggs nuzzled her cheek on my chest. A few quiet moments flew away, and I could tell from the way she looked thoughtful that the girl was thinking of something else to say.

“Can I… ask you a few questions?” The Prime finally asked. “If you’re too tired, I don’t mind asking you those on another time-”

“I’m listening, Traci,” I interjected kindly, biting down a moan as to not disprove my attention to her.

She nodded and… sighted tiredly. “Do you… like Vixy?”

I blinked at the quick shot, surprised by the immediate big question she decided to hand me.

Slowly nodding at her, Tiggs hummed.

“What do you like about her?”

Another blink, this interrogation felt… rather specific about the Fox Prime. Could it be that she was just checking if I meant well for her best friend?

“I like her passion when she is at work,” I replied quietly. “She is stubborn, but receptive of any flaws that she can improve from.”

The girl nodded. “She is confident, smart… and kind.”

I nuzzled back at her hair, smiling at the nice compliments. But then… things took a strange turn.

“She was the one that got me to like being a cheerleader,” Traci started to mention, her tone turning even quieter than before. Almost a whisper. “I wasn’t… happy with myself. I just wasn’t happy before she came by.”

“Tiggs-”

“Every single time I look at her, I feel so special. Her smiles always leave me fuzzy and…”

There was a pause, but I kept quiet as I knew that this wasn’t just someone praising a friend.

“And I think… I might… like her.”

The conclusion to that came rather slowly. Painstakingly so.

…

“Frankie,” She said with a tight tone. “I’m- I’m sorry.”

“Don’t-”

“I don’t want to stand between you and-”

“Tiggs-”

“If you two are happy- then- then I-”

“ _I like Hope._ ”

…

“You… what?”

I sighed, my eyes closing for a brief moment as I sorted out my thoughts. I snapped for a moment, and I told the truth. At least I trusted Tiggs enough to keep this a secret.

Just like she trusted me to keep her emotions for Vixy a secret.

“I… I love Hope.”

Her eyes widened at that comment and she stared at me for a few silent seconds.

“So you… you don’t like-like Vixy?”

“She is nice, but I don’t see her in that way. I guess it’s similar with you just… just more pushed onto me because Hope believes it to be my best chance at love.”

“And she doesn’t know that-”

“No,” I interjected curtly.

…

“And you haven’t tried with Hope because… she likes Shin? Are you afraid you will hurt them both?”

I merely nodded, and once more silence reigned over the supply room as Tiggs pondered about the strange turn of events.

Finally, she eased down a little bit. “So that means I didn’t have to-”

“I’m not angry. I think you said beautiful words that represent what you genuinely think,” I interrupted again. “I can say that you love her a lot. And the emotions you have for her… they are so powerful.”

Her smile was almost blinding, and I sighed as I knew that this was a turning point in our friendship.

I just didn’t know what events were in store for me now. Yet.

But Tiggs did as she felt… interested in me once again. This time for another reason.

once again turning at me, I was graced with the playful smirk that was on her face.

“Frankie… I’m hot~.”

In a normal context, that wouldn’t mean much. But as soon as I saw her lean in, with her warm breath making me stand up… I felt my brain go blank as she reached for my lips, stealing a not-so-chaste kiss out of those.

“T-Traci?”

She paused for a moment, giving me a long look before sighing and looking nervous.

“I know this sounds so sudden and quite selfish from me but… I want this friendship to blossom even more,” The girl admitted with a hint of lust pending by her lips. “I don’t mean romance. I want… to trust you more.”

“B-but-”

“Listen. I know you’ve a good heart, you’re trying to not mess things up with your friends just like I was trying to keep things stable about you and Vixy before you told me the truth and…” She sighed. “I just want to spend a selfish night with someone I know wouldn’t judge me from being selfish. I want you to be selfish with me in a situation where nobody loses.”

…And that’s what slightly concerned me the most. I knew she was right, and at the same time I was feeling reluctant about it.

What was I expecting? A quick relationship out of this experience? I had much to work on and, while I was surprised by the offer forwarded by Tiggs, I knew that she was making a compelling case.

Nobody was going to lose in this scenario. We were still going to keep as friends, and maybe we were going to be more attached to each other than ever.

I was still unsure if things could’ve gone to hell if certain situations happened, but right now as the setting was presented to me, I knew that nothing bad would happen out of this.

And so, instead of lingering any longer on that senseless hesitation, I dived down for another kiss.

Surprise swelled in Traci’s face, but soon it melted away at the waves of heat coming from that steamy encounter. A moan traveled from her mouth to mine, sending a chill down my spine as our tongues started to clash with incredible intensity.

With the generator still producing so much warmth, I could already feel sweat forming at these first steps of a curious development.

The kiss ended and we both looked quite dazed. We were breathing heavily, our bodies twitching in need and craving.

My hands soon reached for her chest while hers stopped at my thighs. Tensing up, a moan forcing itself out of her lips, Tiggs was quickly twitching as I played with her breasts through her shirt and bra.

I kept myself from being too rough with my touch. I knew I was trying to please my partner, and not take all the rewards of this night for myself.

“W-Wait.”

Her quiet voice, almost a whisper, tore through the lust-induced dizziness. I relented my hold, allowing her to sit and remove her shirt, pants and underwear.

I followed her example by undressing myself too, and soon we were left to stare at each other’s exposed modesty.

Tiggs’ had curves in the right places. Her voluptuous form was one many women would envy and only dream to have. It was easy to see how toned some parts of her body were and… I couldn’t help but hum in delight at the sight.

And while I was studying her gorgeous figure, she was doing a similar job by checking on my abs and… the ‘little’ attention she managed to get with her beautiful body.

Eyes growing big at the non-negligible size of the shaft, the girl unconsciously licked her lips.

The pieces were set. Now it was time to see how things will develop.

The Tiger Prime stalked closer, leaning down as she tried to reach for my face once again. I leaned back to her and she took the opportunity to steal a few quick kisses from my lips.

Loving, caring… friendly.

It was odd how things were turning into, but it wasn’t bad. It didn’t feel bad. In fact, it felt the opposite.

This felt just right. And I liked it.

Carefully I pushed her on her back to the floor, crawling over her as I resumed my touching over her bountiful pair of breasts.

Her nipples were quietly touched, sending a couple of shivers that only fueled the wetness of her lower body. I noticed her pussy dripping, its intensity growing just a little bit as I started to play some more with her upper body.

The heat was almost insane, and I felt logical thoughts fading over what I was supposed to do next.

Her few moans were enough to keep me attentive over her lovely form, and soon I was given ‘advice’ to what step I had to take.

Our groins were touching, and I felt tingling as my throbbing shaft lowered to caress the soft lips of her craving opening. Her arms reached for my back, pulling me closer and forcing my cock to rub over her slit.

Her clit was stimulated too in the process, and her legs trembled as my rubbing wasn’t anywhere as slow as I would’ve done ages ago.

This wasn’t my first time, but this one sure felt better than anything I had until now. There was just a touch of desire from within that just burned to get more. To taste more.

And deeper I went as I felt the tip of the mast finally press firmly by her entrance. Her lips twitched, her eyes staring readily as the main deed was about to begin.

An inch went in, and I suddenly felt the squeeze of her inner wall onto my cock. The wetness and the warmth were amazing, so much that I felt my caution falter as two more inches went in.

The more I dived deeper in that trip of pleasure, the more I felt my brain melt under the pressure.

A giggle, Traci looked incredibly happy herself as I started to piston my shaft in and out of her.

Her moans resumed with a higher intensity. It was music to my ears, and I felt pushed to go faster.

“Ah~ Ah~ Ah~!

It was pretty standard and easy.

Pace was the key of success as I continued to reach her deepest. I soon realized that playing with her breasts mid-sex caused her pussy to tighten even more around, and after what felt an eternity, I managed to bring her to a climax and soon after I came myself.

My load sprayed deep, barely reaching back out as I pulled out to stare at this first commitment.

First. I already knew that one round wasn’t enough. There was no way we were going to stop at just the first round.

And from the way she was already parting her pussy lips to me, the Tiger Prime shared my same mindset over the matter.

What followed was quite audacious from both. There was no restraint, no shame in going through various positions as we fought the night by going for several attempts. We took some pauses, quietly enjoying each other’s presence before resuming with that wild state of mind.

It was like mating, but the trust in the action was far from romantic. It wasn’t utterly primal.

The selfishness was intense, but it was justified, if not considered a good reward for calm and patience.

Hours went but soon we ended up stopping completely.

We were both horny, but we were not trying to kill ourselves in the passion. Our bodies just reached their respective limits.

Tiggs was tired, but I had strained myself a little more. Primes had primacy of stamina over humans, after all.

With our sweaty naked bodies cuddled together, we spent the remainder of the night and the first few hours of light in each other’s reach.

\---------- d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d------------

** AN **

_** Ah~ This chapter is lewd! So lewd~! ** _

** Ambar, cover yourself! This isn’t proper! **

_** Oh please! It’s not like you’re not enjoying the view. By the way, is that a gun you’re aiming at me or- ** _

** And yep, she is going for that- **

_** Oh, I will go for that alright~! ** _

** NOT AGA- **

_** [The Author was once again missing. This time, he was found with a sense of clarity and a need to unlock absolute divinity through WRYs and MUDAs] ** _

  
  



	15. Equals by Wits (3)

**Chapter 15: Equals by Wits (3)**

** Beta-Reader: Ant0nius **

** ~Hope’s POV~ **

There were quite a number of different things that could easily leave Hope confused.

Most of them were the kinds of stuff she would find in homework for subjects she just wasn’t attached to. There was a good reason why she trusted and relied on her newest friends to provide her support in exchange of her own help whenever they needed it.

The trust was impeccable, but this wasn’t the reason that saw her eyeing Frankie’s tired and slouched form with a perplexed stare.

She could remember earlier that morning when Traci spoke of their little dinner together and then of their late return to the campus. The story seemed to be filled with a few lies that didn’t line up properly when Vixy started pressing for more details.

It was clear that the Fox Prime was concerned about any info she could get out of her current interest. Frankie had noticed, and that had done nothing but intensify the fascination the leader of the cheerleaders had for the young human.

Maybe it was the endearment of being accepted in that pursuit, thus making the whole process kind of a bonus instead of a tiresome path to a relationship- or maybe Vixy just liked the idea of her natural self attracting someone she liked without needing to change.

It was something that played well with her self-esteem and pride. While the pressure exerted by the girl was considerably more than anything Hope could’ve tried to achieve out of any discussion with the Tiger Prime, the truth was eventually told to the Ravenhurst.

Tiggs and Frankie… had done it.

At first, the novelty had left her surprised, confused even. She could remember the multiple times both friends had said that they weren’t keen to go beyond friendship.

But while the act itself could bring closeness through the raw intimacy it propelled in a relationship, it was also true that sometimes it just helped make a bond durable and… more intense.

They were still friends. Tiggs repeated the statement multiple times to cement this as the only option.

The reason why the Tiger Prime hadn’t said that to her best friend must be tied to the fact that Vixy would react badly at the news. At least, that was what Hope could garner from what she knew of the emotional landscape she was aware about.

Love was complex, and intervening in a relationship could end up becoming a boon or perhaps even screw up any chances of keeping a basic friendship out of it.

Which is why the Gazelle Prime was impressed by the two friends’ maturity. It was rare for this to happen, and she could remember hearing about this from some of her father’s subordinates whenever they were at the docks discussing potential relationships to explore.

While her young sister would quickly ignore these kinds of conversations, Hope did all she could to learn as much as possible about Love. It was only right for her to gear up for any potential chances to foster a closer bond with Shin.

Despite this incredible discovery that added a higher degree of respect for both Frankie and Tiggs, her green eyes weren’t offering anything more than just worry.

Frankie looked drained and mostly unfocused. The real problem was that while Tiggs had managed to get a full rest from that ‘full night’, the human had seemingly failed to gain any decent sleep out of it.

She had her own imagination to help answer why the young man looked so sore while the Tiger Prime had looked so relaxed, but she decided against making it worse by asking Frankie with so many people around.

Professor de Diego was… distracted. The woman was still stealing glances in their direction as soon as she noticed the half-slouched form of the human, but the Leopard Prime seemed unwilling to bring up the fact that the only human in the classroom looked ready to collapse at any moment.

It wasn’t like the teacher could reprimand the young man since he was awake and paying attention to the lecture.

Hope had thus decided against intervening now that the lesson was in full swing, opting to take the tired human away from public eye to get him to confess the matter and maybe help him back to his dorm room.

He clearly wasn’t looking ready to go through a normal day. He needed rest. And she wasn’t going to take a ‘no’ about giving him help with it.

The rest of the lesson was pretty simple to endure. Spanish was one of the few languages her mother had spent quite some time teaching Hope when she was younger.

_ They have such a beautiful set of words that conveys quickly a state of mind and soul… _

Yep, it wouldn’t hurt if she was a tad bit distracted for the sake of watching over her friend. A friend that had helped her a lot with Shin and… that had asked for so little in return.

It was clear that Frankie was embarrassed about asking for help about love, but he was quick to accept her counseling whenever she had something to give him.

It was odd to believe that she would get so close to him despite how little time they spent together.

Sure, all their encounters were unique and somewhat memorable one way or another… but surely there has to be another reason why she gave so much attention to him compared to others.

_ It was all for Shin. _

Her mind was strangely defensive about it, making her heart throb and ache for some reason.

Curiosity acted as an intermediary of her confusion as she tried and failed to get some sense out of her own stance about the human.

They were friends, there was no issue in considering this a fact. But how close as friends were they?

That was the point that started the questions Hope couldn’t find herself capable of answering.

Why?

That was a good query.

But for now, she was stuck in the present and… she was currently keeping an eye out for Frankie. The very moment something odd happened, she would quickly jump into action and make sure that he would be taken to the hospital ward.

For now he was fine, just tired. But having lived in a town where half of the population was made by humans, Hope knew when one was starting to show signs of a fever.

He was exhausted, and while that could easily be taken as a sign of bad sleeping, the redder shade his face was taking wasn’t something to rule out only as mere exhaustion.

Humming, the Gazelle Prime had only barely turned to notice Professor de Diego calling for an end to the lecture.

Students quickly stood up from their seats to leave the room, but Frankie lingered a little bit, but still managed to lift himself off his chair just fine.

“Frankie,” Hope muttered with a hint of nervousness, still unsure how grumpy the human currently was.

“Hmm?” He blinked, quietly turning to address her. “Oh, is there something you need, Hope?”

The girl sighed, glad that the young man wasn’t that much annoyed by the world just yet.

“Actually, now that you’re asking...” She hummed quietly, pulling him from his arm as they both started to make their way out of the classroom. “I would like to chat with you. And I was thinking that we could go to your dorm room to discuss some stuff.”

The human frowned, still showing no sign of reluctance in getting dragged around by the young woman.

“What? Why and… what about the lessons?”

“I think your health takes priority over some lectures I can skip.”

“Hope- you don’t… you don’t have to-” He was literally limping and leaning on her. She huffed tiredly, tempted to pinch the closest cheek of that insufferable dummy beside her.

“Nonsense, mister. You need your sleep and maybe some medicine with how feverish you’re sounding.”

“I’m… I’m not-”

“Say that you’re not sick and I will personally strap you to your bed and force you to rest.”

He snorted, shaking his head but offering no more opposition at that fierce decision. And in that moment Hope felt a strangely pleasant squeeze at her heart, as if that incredibly amusing exchange of words felt so right in her mind.

She smiled, humming happily as she calmly led the young human to his dorm room.

The place was, just as expected, devoid of anyone inside. After putting Frankie in his bed, she quietly checked the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Nodding to herself after finding what she was searching for, she returned back to the occupied bed.

“Now Frankie, I know you don’t feel sick- but you need to… and you’re sleeping.”

Eyes closed and head nuzzling closely to the soft pillow, the human had completely drifted off to dreamland.

Sighing, Hope crouched down to look closer at the silent young man. He looked so innocuous now that she looked at him from this position.

So calm, so serene… she was almost jealous of how peaceful he looked.

Seriously, she would kill for an extra hour of napping if school allowed her to do so. But slacking would only make her appear as a lazy girl and… she didn’t want Shin to think that of her.

No, no- she needed to fight back against her thirst for sleep and focus on the reason she was there.

Despite how well the young human looked, the Gazelle Prime couldn’t allow him to skip picking something to deal with the fever.

_ In fact, does he even have a fever? _

Her hand pressed softly on his forehead, instantly retracting at the heat coming from it.

“Yep, you really need to take your medicines.”

Her musing was soon followed by her shaking Frankie by his shoulders, slightly leaning over him.

“Frankie, you should wake up. You can’t just fall asleep and leave me unable to help you with-!!”

Her action got a reaction, but it wasn’t the one she had expected to find.

Panic exploded in her mind as her face impacted quietly onto his chest, his arms catching her by wrapping behind her and pulling her closer to him.

His chin was nuzzling her forehead, the human blissfully unaware of the bold assault he had just committed… and Hope wasn’t going to blame him for reacting like this at the external stimulus.

She would have remained to his side, and yet she just couldn’t wait to get him to wake up properly.

A huff splashed over his shirt as the girl tried to carefully get out of Frankie’s hold… only to discover that his grip was as strong as iron.

The nuzzling wasn’t helping with her logical side of her mind. Part of her  _ really  _ wanted to just cuddle with a pillow in that moment, and that part was slowly but steadily gaining a formidable grasp over her current thoughts.

He was so warm, his perfume was nice and… she wanted to close her eyes and nap.

…

But then what would happen if someone walked on them?

That very question was what killed any interest in abandoning common sense for some hours of nap.

Prying herself once more against his arms, Hope smiled in relief as the hold binding her close to him had lessened just enough for her to get out of there.

This time, instead of falling for her same mistake, she actually started to give more pressure with her shakes.

Farnkie’s eyes snapped open in a brief moment of fright, but he seemed to calm down with the girl’s calm voice and words. Easing down with the tension, the young man was quite compliant with her request, and he took the medicines without much of a rebuttal.

Once this little task was done, Hope finally conceded herself a few moments of silence by lying on the bed beside Frankie’s.

She stared at the ceiling, pondering about what had just happened and… why was her heart pounding so intensely. She shouldn’t have been scared anymore of being caught in that awkward position any longer, and yet… her heart was beating loudly and so very distractedly.

But why?

A huff, then two, she turned her head to facilitate looking at Frankie’s disposition and she breathed calmly over the peace he had once again found.

If only she could claim to be sick and get a nap herself. That would be so nice… but she just couldn’t leave him be without someone watching over him.

It was a matter of responsibility rather than common sense. She had taken upon herself the duty of keeping him company and helping him through this situation and, hopefully, he wasn’t going to find it any more awkward than she currently was.

He was her friend. A friend she cared a lot about. A confidant that she trusted upon to help her with her little mission. Someone that Hope couldn’t help but admire while also criticizing with each turn…

And yet there was something that was missing. Something that she didn’t feel the need to delve into and… that left her hurting.

But why and how… she couldn’t tell.

“Why are you so… complicated to handle?”

The question which technically was directed at Frankie… was also meant for her to study. To think over as she waited for something to happen.

She reached for her phone, pondering about alerting the others.

Miles would eagerly accept any excuse to ditch classes at once and get some napping going, while Shin would come by while bemoaning the fact he was going to skip lessons he wanted to be there for.

But what about Vixy and Tiggs?

She could see the Tiger Prime worrying about this somehow being her fault. As much as she wanted to sound tough, the girl was still someone that was quick to blame herself for anything that could remotely be her fault, especially when it was about her friends being hurt.

But Vixy was a very particular case since she would want to use this opportunity to get closer to Frankie. Which was a good thing… and also not.

_ Ugh, why is this so complicated?! _

Hope patiently looked through the contact list, stopping at one of the first names in there as a curious idea started to form inside her head.

_ Didn’t Angel say that one of her friends had a minor understanding of advanced medicine? _

The Bunny Prime seemed to mean well, plus Frankie was positive that she was a friend of his and that the feeling was mutual.

So maybe, just maybe, that could actually work well for her.

Maybe she could contact Angel first, and then call Miles and Shin.

About Vixy and Tiggs… maybe it was better if she spoke to them individually. Just to avoid Traci spilling the beans over what happened the night before out of guilt.

_** Yes, that will have to work… ** _

\------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d----

** ~Naerie’s POV~ **

Prism Uni was different from how Naerie had first expected it to be.

While the online pamphlet was exhaustive with its rich amount of information about the building and the curriculum, there seemed to be an inherent element that the document hadn’t mentioned… but not out of maliciousness or laziness.

No, it was because people were already expecting this element to be common in all schools.

People talked, and when they talked loudly and without turn they would make an entire room chaotic and distracting.

Naerie had been present to many conventions that invited her mother to be there to give speeches, but the rules of quietness shared between these events and the classroom didn’t apply to the end of the lesson.

It was like a curtain made of thin silence suddenly disappeared to make way for a degree of sudden noise. It wasn’t truly terrible by itself, but the Bear Prime couldn’t help but feel worried that the distracting voices would instinctively lead her to peer into the minds of those around her, ending with her overloading her brain with useless information.

The only anchor here that she was happily latching on was Shin. The White Tiger Prime was kind and polite, just like she had expected him to be even in this scenario away from his family.

It was his main trait to be good, but it was also true that there was some uneasiness at the chance of him failing his duty towards her.

She was certain he wouldn’t, but directly telling him would mean confessing that she was constantly checking his mood and thoughts, which wouldn’t help him in the long run.

Emotions were complicated when a single step could easily ruin a relationship.

Is this why Hope Ravenhurst had taken so long to mold herself a pedestal close to Shin? Maybe. The more time she spent around the boy and away from the safe walls offered by her family and home, the more Naerie grew certain of this possibility.

And this very notion highlighted something that she hadn’t expected to find after joining Prism Uni.

Each step marked a lesson about dealing with romance.

Until now, her efforts were restrained by her unwillingness to part from ‘safety’, but now that she was away from anything that could cover her from an emotion-related fiasco, the redhead could understand why she needed to adapt and overcome her current obstacles.

A struggle to grow smarter and stronger, with the final goal of scoring a relationship with the kind blond.

It was quite simple to accept this idea, and her first day at Prism Uni seemed to go so well… until one of the teachers decided to call in sick and bring them out of the classrooms.

That disruption could have easily been taken as an opportunity for Shin to act bold. To show her around the city instead of lingering inside the campus… and yet the boy was incredibly nervous. The chances of failing her sounded loud with his mind, despite the lack of logical pondering about it.

Just as much as she was afraid of messing up, so was Shin the same with his own attempts to make her first day at Prism a good one.

They wandered away from the others, retreating to the dorms as the young man wanted to get some books so that they could stay by the courtyard.

What they found inside the dorm room was different from what they could’ve expected.

Three Primes, all women, were standing around the bed occupied by… the human.

Frankie Parker, the only human currently enrolled in Prism Uni, was unconscious and the small wet patch of white cloth that was currently on his forehead suggested that it wasn’t something good.

“Hope-” Shin was the first one to react, addressing the one he knew the most about.

The Gazelle Prime almost jumped, her green eyes widening in surprise at the sudden call.

“O-Oh, Shin- I didn’t expect you to-”

“What is going on with Frankie?” He quickly interjected, worry dripping copiously from his words.

It was rare to see the normally calm blond get panicky, and yet Naerie knew that the logical explanation was that the White Tiger Prime had grown rather close to the human.

A bond that the Crest of Wisdom had defined brotherly, the kind that only only sibling-like fellows could perceive.

Rather unexpected, but surprisingly unconcerning since it didn’t threaten her chances of making Shin her boyfriend.

But the issue at hand soon subverted any calm thoughts she had.

“It’s… Frankie hasn’t been feeling well. At first it was tiredness, then he developed a fever that just kept worsening.”

The Cat Prime wearing a white coat and a pair of glasses was trying to discern the truth behind the ailment thanks to the help offered by her Nanozell Spirit. The white figure was analyzing saliva and a small amount of blood recovered from the human… but Naerie knew that they weren’t going to find a solution by scientific means.

As the cause behind such illness was magical in nature, and thus incurable by natural means.

“A-And you got something on him?”

“Not yet,” The distracted woman mentioned, sparing no interest to the new arrivals. “But this is indeed a strange case.”

_ Her name is Tiare. _

A quick probe of her mind gave her that detail.

“I don’t think you will find anything,” Naerie muttered calmly, knowing that delaying her intervention would just put the human through senseless harm. “It’s not a physical condition.”

The comment finally drew the brunette’s attention off the young man and to her. Her eyes widened in surprise as the Cat Prime recognized the redhead, but instead of questioning the legitimacy of this claim she allowed the Bear Prime to step closer to the bed.

The Bunny Prime wasn’t of the same mindset. “And how do you know this? What does he have?”

_ Angel, that is her name. _

Naerie blinked, but nodded in acceptance of the questions.

“Frankie is… dealing with a seemingly acute case of Wisdom Overload.”

…

“A what?”

While the dark-haired woman looked more confused than else, Hope and Shin both looked shocked at this revelation.

It was common knowledge for those that were in contact with the knights trained in the Wisdom Clan to know about this specific sickness. It was something almost expected from anyone blessed by a magical affinity for Wisdom.

“Wisdom Overload is a common form of deficiency that happens when a user of Wisdom magic is suddenly ‘activated’ and forced to produce a large amount of magic,” The Nanozell Spirit, Era, explained quietly. “The mind is unable to sustain this sudden surplus and forces the user’s body to undergo strains to endure the immediate ill effects this can cause. It can be cured only by a fellow user of Wisdom magic that knows about the topic.”

“Which is why I will take over from here,” Naerie added politely. “I understand your concern, but I’m the only one that can work on this case.”

While also fixing a mistake she was indirectly responsible about. She hadn’t expected for his magic to get enabled just as she tried to probe his mind the day before.

The delayed effect wasn’t unexpected as there were cases where the sickness would at least need three days to activate. For it to happen merely hours after the activation was indeed proof that his reserves and magical production were nothing to scoff at.

She sat down on the chair offered by Tiare, quickly reaching for the human’s closest hand before starting to ‘bridge up’ with his mind.

This process wasn’t something the Bear Prime was experienced about and it was going to be the first time she went through the practical part of it, having seen just her mother and her apprentices doing this.

Her eyes closed and she slowly succumbed to a complete trance.

_** But just as she was sure that the final steps were done correctly, her consciousness faltered as she could feel… memories overlapping one over the other. Some hers, some Frankie’s. ** _

\----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d--

_ W-Where am I? Where are Mom and Dad? _

Blinking as I looked around for some clues, I could help but shiver as I tried to remember what happened.

This place… it wasn’t anything I could remember being at home.

Short, confused… terrified.

I felt small, I was small. And it just felt right to be such in this circumstance.

Fright and nervousness- I couldn’t remember how I got in there.

The place was massive, it reminded me of a palace and… I tried to recall how I got there.

Did Mom send me here somehow? Was she the kind of person that would do that?

Maybe it was Halloween time and… they wanted to scare me?

There was nothing that could actually put fright in me but… the chilling sensation this desolate location was leaving me with was more than enough to make me question-

Question what really happened and why I was here and alone.

This last bit soon was disproved the moment I heard a shrill shriek coming from the other side of the massive hallway I was walking through.

Panic swelled, the shivering intensified… but I kept on walking as I recognized the voice belonging to a fellow child. A girl to be more precise.

A large room welcomed me as soon as I arrived at my destination and… my eyes widened in a mix of surprise and dread as I saw the girl I had heard crouching down while trying to hold against the few malicious-looking shadows.

The girl looked incredibly afraid, and she was stuck in that position.

Why? What was going on? And were those… ghosts?!

The mere chance of having found some spectral figures was enough to freeze me up as I thought about the situation.

I could attack, and try to get her out of there… but what if I got assaulted as well?

Gulping nervously, my mind brought back something I had forgotten.

_ Sometimes you will need to pick fights you might end up losing, sport. Especially when an innocent life is put at risk. _

Dad- He had said that to me and… I wouldn’t be a coward.

No! I wasn’t going to allow an innocent person to be hurt- not when I can do something about it.

Instead of standing still like a moron, I charged against the scary-looking fiends. They turned around to look at me, their appearance dreadful and horrifying at first … but I wasn’t going to allow anyone to hurt someone like that.

Two punches and a kick. No aim, no focus- just attacking.

At first I thought my attacks were being dodged… but then I realized that I passed through the silhouettes and that they couldn’t attack me in return.

They were just… holograms. Or something close to that.

They slowly faded away as soon as I realized this, leaving just the trembling fellow child that was still trying to handle the trauma.

I paused, unsure how to handle this myself. How do I approach this without being too abrupt?

Mom would just go ahead and be kind but… would this work with this specific situation.

…

Maybe.

A Bear Prime with a light-tanned fur. She had long red hair that partially hid a star like element on her forehead. A white ribbon combining parts of her hair in three different sections.

I took a few steps and… leaned forward. “A-Are you okay?”

My voice seemed to get a reaction, with her shivering growing lesser as she slowly opened her eyes to greet me.

I gawked as I realized that her light-blue eyes were so mesmerizing and… cute.

A blush appeared across my face and the girl blinked a couple of times before ultimately realizing that we were alone.

“W-Who are you?”

The question snapped me out of the staring and I nodded to myself. “I-I’m Frankie.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh? Did you… come from the outside?”

_ Outside? What was she talking about? Is this place her home? _

“Y-Yeah.”

An awed appeared on her face. “Really? I didn’t think Mama would’ve invited someone else besides Shin!”

_ Shin? Why does this name feel… familiar? _

“W-Well, I wasn’t actually invited. I just… wake up here and… I saw you being attacked by the scary ghosts.”

The girl frowned. “Ghosts?”

“The things that were attacking you,” I reiterated. “Aren’t those… ghosts?”

She shook her head. “No, these were… I don’t know.”

A sad look replaced her awed one, prompting me to react in panic.

“I-It’s alright- there are no more problems involving them .”

Blinking, she lifted her stare up to my smile with a surprised look.

“R-Really?”

“Yeah,” I said determinedly. “In fact, I wanted to ask what your name is.”

A hum left her lips. “I’m… Naerie.”

My smile widened. “Nice to meet you, Naerie.”

She smiled back. “T-Thanks… do you- do you want to be my friend?”

It was sudden, and I was quiet for a few seconds but… she looked nice. And she had such a pretty smile!

“Sure!”

_** And then, the world collapsed in a white light. ** _

\-----------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d-----------

I woke up with a headache.

Groaning I tried to stand up from my bed- only for a few hands to reach out and stop me from properly moving out of the bed.

“Frankie, stop- you’re still feverish and-”

Hope? What happened- and ‘feverish’?

“You should listen to the girl. You sure looked like a goner for a moment,” A familiar Bunny Prime commented. “That was a fright.”

Angel? What was she doing here and-

“S-Sir, you should perhaps stay down and allow yourself to be treated properly.”

I finally focused my stare upon the bright white figure hovering above me. I blinked, surprised by her nervous blue eyes.

A… Nanozell Spirit.

“So this is how I end up meeting you, Mr… Parker.”

I turned to the side to regard an unfamiliar Cat Prime.

“You know me? Then can you… please tell me what’s your name?”

“Rather blunt of you to ask, but I suppose you’re still far from completely out of your fever,” The woman sighed, nodding in acceptance of this theory. “My name is Tiare Mehran, and I’m Angel’s roommate and friend.”

“She’s the one I told you that didn’t want to be body painted-”

“Because you’re too passionate about that art. It’s… unnerving,” The brunette rebuked at the smug-looking Angel.

“Hope,” I muttered calmly, drawing the Gazelle Prime’s attention on me.

“Yes?”

“Where is… Naerie?” The question got a surprised look from the girl. “I- I know she was here-”

“She left with Shin,” The girl replied quickly, looking uneasy for a moment. “Why, is there something wrong about it or-”

“N-No, it’s… It’s private.”

_** I’ll need to address this once I get the chance to speak with the Bear Prime. What were those shadows and… were they the ones responsible for her unhappy composure? ** _

\-----------d-d-dd-----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------

**AN**

**Naerie has yet to tell me what exactly happened to her.**

_**Well, she didn’t tell it to Shin, why would she do that for you?** _

**Surrogate sibling? Maybe?**

_**I think you’re pretty far from making use of that card.** _

**Mah…**


	16. Equals by Wits (4)

** Chapter 16: Equals by Wits (4) **

** Beta-Reader: Ant0nius **

I was incredibly confused.

Despite my intention to bolt after the running Bear Prime the moment I felt that bizarre dream fully sink into my brain, I was forced to stay put in bed by both Angel and Shin.

While I was now conscious and slowly recovering from this ‘magical sickness’, my fever had yet to completely settle down and my limbs were still sore from the ordeal.

I was awake, but too weak to do anything as I was now.

And since I couldn’t exactly leave the room because of how frail my body currently was, I was given little reprieve when I found myself barraged by questions, mostly from Tiare and Hope.

With the former being more interested in keeping track of my recovery over everything else, and the latter pressing me to speak about what happened while I was unconscious to understand why Naerie had left so suddenly, I was spared no chill for a full hour.

Things would only take a good turn when Miles finally turned up and managed to convince the Gazelle Prime to lessen up with the questioning.

But with Hope taking a softer approach, Shin decided it to be a good time to finally ask his own questions.

None were too invasive, but he did try to pry more details of the dream out of me. He looked rather tense about it, and I felt quite unhappy with myself when I firmly stood my ground about it.

Not because I didn’t trust the blond, but because I knew from within that what happened in that ‘scene’ was well beyond private. It was intimate, not romantic, not platonic- just intimate.

Magic, that’s what was behind the sudden bout of sickness that left me bedridden for a while. I was confused at first, but then Tiare and her Nanozell Spirit, Era, showed me a couple of holographic windows filled with data elaborated from some quick analysis of my ‘magical reserves’.

I was stunned by a couple of measurement units, but I still managed to get a fair understanding of what just happened.

I have magic… and that seemed to be something I had since I was born. It wasn’t unusual for humans to have magic and some simply lived their lives without ever knowing of this, but then the sudden ‘activation’ of my ‘element’ forced me to overcharge and bloat my reserves to unpleasant levels.

It sounded so… unbelievable. Yet I had been aware that my family had some magical user from back during the Galactic War.

The Grim Maverick. Differently from my ancestor, I was tuned for Wisdom and… wasn’t Naerie the daughter of that element’s Crest?

I was unsure what I was supposed to do with this newfound information. How was I supposed to handle it?

Remembering a research paper I had to work on during High School, I knew that people that used Magic were usually pushed into becoming Knights. And while I wasn’t shy to make my battles, even physical ones when needed, I had never felt the need to go down that path.

Mostly because it was tough… and deadly. There were several instances of Knights, but mostly humans and Primes, being killed in action while handling Chaos terrorists. And while these criminals were few and rare to find around, it was still a factor I wasn’t planning to ignore if I had to contemplate a career about it.

But did I really want to go through that?

No. To be fair, it was noble work. But still one I didn’t have any interest in.

Maybe I could just ignore the magic. It wasn’t like it would now start to influence my life, especially with how tame it was and how difficult it felt to ‘reach out for it’.

Yes, I did try to grasp at it. Or rather, I held the strange addition within my mind. A soft hum that would beep at me once in a while as if to remind me that I was awake and doing well.

Not the strident and annoying beep many were long accustomed to, but a quiet and slow one.

A soothing noise that for some reason brought a higher degree of control over my thoughts.

“You sure look like you’re having a hard time with this stuff,” Angel commented, finally speaking after a long time being there. Her silent pink eyes glimmered for a moment as she spoke. “I mean, magic and all of that crazy crap. How are you holding up?”

With Hope, Miles and Shin having taken a distant position to discuss the situation and plan out how to handle the day to have someone around me, I was left to deal with the curious artist.

I shrugged. “The best I can… I think,” I admitted quietly. “Thanks-”

“Don’t you dare,” The dark-haired Bunny Prime rebuffed smoothly, cracking a dry smile. “Aren’t we friends? Plus, you owe me a full body paint.”

“Wait, really?” I said while frowning. “I mean, I don’t see why not. But that was rather sudden”.

A huff left her lips. “Just bored.”

“Angel is annoyed that she discovered she actually likes History lectures, and can’t get back to her hermit lifestyle,” Tiare explained with a calm tone, drawing a glare from her roommate. “Ever since she started to bother around after meeting you… she had been drowning herself in books about the subject.”

“ Thank you,  _ kitty. _ ”

The scientist frowned deeply at that sarcastic rebuttal, finding it rightful to add some more fuel to the fire.

“And the worst part is that it’s just history. If she actually put the same vigor and effort in other subjects, she would’ve easily gained a degree by the end of the year.”

The Bunny Prime scoffed. “I  _ do  _ put some effort-”

“Your personal interest in Art isn’t translated with the academy subject offered by Prism.”

“That’s because it’s boring and limiting,” The pink-eyed woman replied quickly. “I’m more into expressing-”

“Beauty through people’s bodies. Yes, I think everyone knows that now.”

…

“Prick.”

As the two continued with their exchange, I took a moment to glance at the others and… just now notice that Shin was now walking out of the room.

Hope had an uneasy look plastered on her face, while Miles looked… frustrated.

_ What did I miss? And where was Shin going? _

I decided against asking, finding myself drawn to another element I had taken notice just now that I was looking around the room.

A young Bear Prime was standing just near the room’s door, looking at me with a pair of inquisitive blue eyes and… a friendly smile.

“Hi!” She greeted loudly, her voice getting me completely tense as I gave full attention to her.

She waved, and I blinked helplessly as no one else in the room could see her from the lack of reaction to her presence.

_** What is… going on? ** _

\-------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d--------

** ~Naerie’s POV~ **

This shouldn’t have happened.

This was the summary of the multiple thoughts storming inside her head as she quickly paced around Prism Uni, ignoring the gazes turning to briefly greet her.

While she had heard of attempts to solve cases of Wisdom Overload backfiring on those people trying to solve this kind of issue, none matched with the absurdity she was now trying to make sense of.

At first Naerie had bolted out of the room in a moment of fright and confusion. She could still remember the ‘lucid dream’, that complex and messy mixture of a nightmare and an old memory.

Her young self, or at least something that was born from the memory of it, meet Frankie as a child.

It shouldn’t have happened. Wisdom just couldn’t transcend into that level of surreal, mostly because it was tied to mind-based magic.

And yet it happened and… Naerie was clueless how she was supposed to handle the aftermath of it.

Not only she felt deprived of privacy with someone she had so little trust in, but she couldn’t help but feel  _ relieved  _ that it had happened.

Maybe it was because from an early introspection the human doesn’t feel worthy of suspicions. Her mother seemed rather certain of his credibility, and he had done nothing to deserve her distrust.

But he also didn’t do enough to warrant that degree of respect and faith from the Bear Prime.

It was all so confusing, and frustrating- and then there was the newest issue that she was trying to make sense of.

“You know, the view here is awesome!” The young human child exclaimed as he enjoyed the sight provided by their current location.

The modest roof that she had just entered gave her an equal amount of privacy and freedom, just enough to contemplate properly about the unexpected creation within her mind.

It was Frankie. The child version, but still something that had the same appearance as the individual.

What? And how did it come to be?

Her first introspection was that the figment was born from that amalgamation of lie and truth. Something unheard of, even after extensively studying all concepts related to Wisdom-related magics, and something that didn’t seem willing to harm her.

In fact, the only uneasy detail of that apparition was that it looked so… cheerful, and impressively naive of what was going on.

What was she looking at?

“You’re not real,” She quickly blurted, knowing that her statement was a curious paradox. It existed within her perception, but she was quite sure that he wasn’t there from the way his presence felt ‘frailer’ than a normal living being.

He pouted. “What? But I’m here.”

“That doesn’t compute to the fact you exist or not.”

His pout deepened. “Well, you’re not real too.”

“I can touch things, and my presence is known to others.”

He looked uneasy, almost… cute too, if she had to be honest.

“W-Well, you’re a dummy.”

“And what does it have to do with the current topic?”

“If you were smart you would know that I’m real,” The boy replied smugly. “In fact, you’re a silly head.”

...For some reason, this irked her. Not enough to make her expression change or even falter, but just enough to prompt renewed interest over the chatty figment.

So Naerie sighed calmly. “As I’ve said, that doesn’t prove anything. You’re just grasping some illogical and stupid argumentation that lacks evidence.”

Instead of backing away at that response, ‘little’ Frankie’s smirk widened.

“ Really? Well, if I wasn’t real,  _ could I do this?!? _ ”

He reached out, his finger sticking and reaching for her face. A soft pressure by her nose, and then it backed away.

Her eyes widened, mostly because that broke a lot of assumptions she had made out of this situation.

This being… It wasn't just a hallucination. She felt that touch, the usual jolt of someone ‘booping her nose’.

“How is-” She paused, her throat feeling a tad bit sorer than before. This was beyond unusual. This was outright insane. “What are you?”

The child giggled a little, amused by her shock and distress… yet that amusement faded away as quickly as it came, mostly because the boy looked genuinely sorry for leaving her in such a state.

“ Well, I don’t think it’s that difficult. You  _ should  _ know me, after all.”

Should she? Did she forget something that could explain this phenomenon? Maybe a lesson her mother had given her during her exposition an unimportant tale of hers.

But just as the Bear Prime prepared to ask… the boy responded without input.

“I’m Frankie. Don’t you remember? Your friend!”

Ah, that was… not what she had expected.

_ Is this disappointment? _

“I don’t recall befriending Frankie when I was that young.”

“Oh, but you didn’t,” The human added without hesitation. “In fact, we just become friends.”

...When? How-

The dream. He was referring to the dream and… he was right from a certain point of view, and he was also wrong about it considering that it all happened away from the real world.

“I’m not the Naerie you met.”

“Aren’t you? I-I mean, you’re prettier now that you’re older- but you’re still Naerie.”

The name was the same, but there was a situation of duality that was just being ignored by the child.

“I’m not something born from that strange predicament.”

“Then… who was the one I befriended then?”

Indeed, how was the young woman supposed to explain that without actually losing her mind about it.

It was already hard enough for her to try and understand the incredibly difficult subject, and she wasn’t even sure if she knew what she was dealing with or not.

There was no genuine chance for her to give a simplified explanation of it for the strange concept to get an idea of this maddening logic.

So, as Naerie prepared to capitulate over that unsure point, the noise of approaching footsteps reached their ears.

They both turned at the only entrance to the roof, waiting patiently to see who it was.

Could it be Shin? Maybe he was worried and-

Her assumption crumbled as she saw a familiar individual cross the entrance, one that wasn’t the White Tiger Prime.

Giggling, the younger version of herself rushed towards the surprised human boy.

“Frankie!”

The little Bear Prime bolted without restraint, only to tackle down the confused boy to the ground.

“N-Naerie?” He asked in a mix of shock and confusion.

Still, taking under consideration the sudden intrusion of this new ‘hallucination’, there was only a single possible explanation.

Her stare quietly turned back to the roof’s entrance and… he was there.

Frankie offered a weak smile, leaning on the closest wall to stand up. His legs were wobbling and failing to stand up properly, proof that he hadn’t recovered from the Wisdom Overload.

Keeping silent, the red-haired Bear Prime rushed towards Frankie as she noticed him starting to lose his footing.

“Naerie-”

He stopped speaking the moment he realized that something was wrong, his body tensing up as he fell forward… right onto Naerie’s waiting arms.

Shivering for a moment, the young woman found it easy to get him to keep standing up, but he found his closeness rather… odd.

“Sorry, I kind of… tripped.” He muttered quietly, trying to lie his way out of that awkward development.

“You should be resting,” The Bear Prime chided with her usual blank tone. “And yet you came here… how did you know where I was?”

He didn’t outright answer, but she trailed his stare back to her younger self as she continued to play around the giddy-looking human boy.

“Do you… know what is going? Why are they-”

“No,” The young woman replied curtly. “I… I don’t know.”

…

“ I- I thought  _ she  _ was a hallucination. Only I could see her and… I could touch her. Well, she grabbed my hand to prove she was there and-”

“And?”

Despite the softness of her voice, the little hint of sternness wasn’t missed by Frankie as the young man looked nervous for a moment.

“And I kind of decided to have her take me to you. She said she knew where you were and- Oh right, Shin is currently searching for you. He looked worried so… yeah. That too.”

_ Was he? _

Now Naerie felt a hint of uneasiness at that. Maybe she should’ve been a little less emotional with that reaction if that had worried the blond.

“I need to take you back to your room.”

She had to know that he was there. It would’ve been irresponsible to do otherwise.

“Hmm, but… why did you run away in the first place?”

It was inconsequential to the situation. She had a duty to get him back to his bed so that he could properly recover from-

“Were you crying?”

Another question, this time it came a little bit closer to the current topic, but it was still unrelated to the young man’s plight.

What if she ended up crying a little? What if her body just had that reaction? Why should he care about it?

His arms slowly wrapped around her waist and she felt closer to him… just enough for her thoughts to go silent and all the logic to fade away as only quiet remained.

“What if… we talk about it?”

She should’ve said ‘no’. She should have.

And yet… she complied.

_** She knew that she needed to vent on someone. And Frankie was going to be just enough for now. ** _

\------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------

The floor of the roof was particularly cold.

It wasn’t like I had much to whine about considering how chilly the weather was today. Compared to the few gusts of winds managing to reach us, the ground was somewhat warmer than that.

Still, I kept close to Naerie as she took a seat beside me, getting a little less cold because of it. The Bear Prime was incredibly warm, mostly thanks to her natural fur that protected her from feeling the cool pressure exerted by today’s climate.

Maybe I should’ve smuggled a jacket before bailing from the dorm room.

The thought was a sudden one, but quickly shot down by the fact that I had left that place within a limited time frame and swift silent feet. I really didn’t have the chance to take anything with me as I decided to trust what I had initially thought to be an illusion.

At first I was certain of that, but then I realized that there was something ‘undeniable’ about little Naerie that dispelled any support for the hallucination theory.

I could touch her, and it was confirmed by an unexpected squeeze from her hand onto mine.

She asked about me, and commented how tall I was… and how she could feel that there was ‘someone like her’ within the building.

It was easy to understand she was referring to ‘her’ older version.

I couldn’t exactly ask here where the missing individual was, especially since my means to communicate with her were restrained by the presence of people in the dorm room.

While Angel and Tiare decided to leave after a while, Hope and Miles had remained to discuss the situation. They were distracted and mostly unable to notice the small gestures I would use to reply to the questions coming by the ‘hallucination’.

She seemed highly receptive, enough to get all my answers correct, yet she soon started to nag about finding out ‘who felt like her’.

I would’ve normally refused that silly ‘quest’ since I was tired, sore, and kind of loopy from that unpleasant experience I was recovering from. But with the pressuring being nigh-impossible to calm down with mere gestures and the fact I wasn’t as strong-willed as usual was, I eventually found myself caving in at the bizarre presence’s will.

The walk out of that room and right to where the older Naerie was proved to be… slightly hilarious.

With people still wandering around the halls, I had to alternate between holding the little Bear Prime’s hand and actually following her around without making it seem like I was going insane by staring intensely at a supposedly empty part of the hall.

Eventually we arrived at our destination, and… I was now sitting with the ‘real Naerie’ while we both stared at our younger versions playing together with what looked to be a tag game… on a rooftop.

“I’m impressed that… they can play in these circumstances.”

The young woman merely hummed in agreement, her blue-eyed stare aimed at the giggling duo.

…

“So… why did you run away when I woke up?” I asked, unwilling to let the silence kept on for that long.

We were supposed to talk about this matter, and not just stare at the two crazy phenomena playing together.

I mean, it was hilarious to see how quick to giggle lil’ Naerie was when someone tickled her, and my younger copy looked even more amused at listening to her cute voice.

“What happened- It wasn’t supposed to happen.”

I nodded at that curt response. “I realized that.”

…

“How?”

I blinked. “Uh- what?”

“How did you realize that it wasn’t supposed to happen?” The redhead reiterated her question, and I took a moment to reflect on that very point.

It was difficult to explain without making it sound too weird but… considering the fact we were already handling a maddening predicament with the two playing ‘kids’, I knew I had no good reason to keep quiet about it.

“It just felt wrong,” I answered with a calm voice. “I felt like I had no control over what was going on inside that… dream. I think it was a dream.”

She nodded to confirm that thought, and I resumed from there.

“And… that’s it. I really don’t have anything too big to work on since I’m new to this whole… mind magic.”

“Wisdom is more than just ‘mind magic’,” The Bear Prime rebuked politely. “It can be used for something more… physical too.”

She lifted her right hand up and aimed it to a nearby piece of paper. While one could easily consider it flying away as something from the wind… the fact it literally floated up vertically and then crumpled in front of us was enough to sustain just a theory.

Wisdom actually encompassed telekinesis in its wide arsenal of abilities.

“You… are quite adept to it. I suppose your mother taught you a lot.”

Naerie nodded. “Most of it, yes. I did have other teachers, but mother took priority in educating me about this magic.”

I nodded, humming quietly and allowing the silence to bring some confidence to the two of us.

“It looked pretty good,” I commented with a nod.

“It was a simple thing,” The young woman easily remarked. “But I suppose it can be quite… surprising to see in person for the first time.”

I nodded again, and she calmly waited for something to happen, for me to say something more after that.

But I didn’t, and… that was enough to get her to speak up once more.

“Aren’t you going to ask about why...”

She didn’t finish that question, merely aiming her eyes back at the children.

“‘Why’ what?”

“Why is my younger self more active than I am-”

“Could’ve been a phase,” I interrupted with a guess. “It’s interesting and all, but I know better from pressing about something that might be too much for you to answer to.”

“Not even if you’re curious? Not even if it’s… important?”

“If you believe that giving the truth about it is important, then you would’ve done that already,” I answered quietly. “But I can tell that it’s… not a pleasant truth. At least, not with the way you react when someone is close to even think about it.”

…

“May I ask you a question, Frankie?”

I shrugged. “Sure thing, Naerie. Go ahead.”

…

“If I had the… power to destroy the entire city with a single snap of my fingers, would you...” She paused, her throat holding back a traitorous hint of sadness as she regained bearing over her state of mind. “Would you… hate me as a monster?”

I looked up at the sky, deciding against answering so quickly as I knew that the moment was packed with too much tension.

I could tell from the way she was intensely staring at me. From the way she was wishing to hear a response from me that was none like those she was thinking off.

Either for the best or the worst.

“I don’t hate you, Naerie. Nor do I think I can actually be forced to do so considering how mindful you are for others,” I started to say with a committed tone. “You wanted to bring me to my room and have me back to bed the moment you saw me by the door. If you were a monster, you wouldn’t have gone through with that thought first, wouldn’t you?”

“Maybe I just didn’t want you around. Maybe I wanted to be alone.”

…

“No.”

She frowned, and my smile widened at her reaction.

“No?”

“As much as you try to hide it, I can tell that you are afraid of being seen as a bad person… and I can assure you that if you're the opposite of bad,” I added with a nod. “You’re considerate and caring in your own ways, but you also have a low self-esteem while handling social issues. You might be able to go through things you’ve worked with your mother, magic, but nothing prepared you to deal with people so closely and not behind a safe shield like before.”

Tensing up again, the Bear Prime looked impressed by this explanation… yet there was something left for her to ask.

“Do you really believe so?”

I hummed and gave her a solid nod.

“Not only do I believe that. I _know_ you’re a good person, Naerie,” I replied happily. “And you deserve happiness despite what might have happened in the past.”

…

She sighed softly, looking away from me. “Thank you.”

I only smiled, glad that I had managed to get the point across.

After that brief understanding, we quietly went to turn our attentions back to the ‘kids’ and…

_ Why are they no longer there? _

“What?” I pushed myself up, looking around as Naerie slowly followed my example and… frowned.

“I can’t feel them. They are no longer there.”

“But where did they go?” I inquired in complete surprise. “Surely they couldn’t have left like that and-”

“What are you two doing here?”

I jumped in surprise at the sudden query, turning to see a familiar White Tiger Prime peeking from the nearby doorstep.

Relaxing as quickly as I noticed this, I gave Shin a frown. “Just talking.”

“talking? I- Naerie-”

“It’s alright, Shin. We just talked.”

The blond paused, the question he wanted to ask constricted and shoved away at the genuineness coming from the redhead.

“Eh… shouldn’t you be back to the dorm room to recover, Frankie?”

My eyes widened at that comment, just now realizing that I had spent a long time away from dealing with that situation. I wonder how Miles and Hope are handling my disappearance.

“I suppose we should go back now that this situation is settled.”

At my response, the three of us walked downstairs to the floor where the dorms were and… I paused when I saw two familiar figures waiting by our destination.

Miles looked sheepish and kind of… sympathetic.

Meanwhile Hope had quite the furious look plastered on her face and  _ soon, she started running towards me. _

Panic exploded at the approaching doom, and I knew there was only a single choice in the matter.

“ I-I guess it’s a good day for a marathon-  _ S-See ya all later!” _

I bolted as quickly as I said this, the angry girl giving chase without stopping for a moment, not even to address the surprise look on her crush’s face.

_** Yep, I might have gone overboard about that. Oh well, we win some and we lose some ** _

\------------d-d-d-d---------------d-d-d-d------------

** AN **

** So… Halloween. **

_** I’ve got some candies already~ ** _

** Isn’t it a few weeks too early to- **

_** And here is a bagful of sweets~ ** _

** I’m not going to get allured by such an empty promise for- **

_** And some hot chocolate with extra coffee~ ** _

** ...Well, if it’s a trap, at least I will still get some chocolate out of it.  **


	17. Brain and Brawn (1)

** Chapter 17: Brain and Brawn (1) **

** Beta-Reader: Ant0nius **

It’s only been a week since that little bonding session I shared with Naerie happened.

With my recovery slowly but steadily happening without any issues, I managed to get back to work in about three days since that interesting meeting I had with the Bear Prime. I wasn’t exactly happy with how I felt constrained to my own room under the vigilant eyes of both Hope and Angel, but at least they didn’t try any of that ‘spoon-feeding’ stuff some TV series would get women to do to ‘patients’.

Things at Prism Uni were generally uneventful for the students, and there was a good reason to see this much interest in keeping focus on school-related stuff. Since the first exam period was closing in with its two-weeks long session, many had already rushed to create study groups for specific subjects.

With numerous individuals, some who barely knew each other, rallying by the tables in the cafeteria, I was quickly pushed to form a group of people that I surprisingly knew well about, but I never had the chance of being around at the same time during the past couple of days.

Angel huffed as she quietly sketched some new designs to try out, at first ignoring the cast of people that had decided to see us as the main ‘mentors’ of that group of students that needed help in History. My attention was slowly turning to give another look at the group of individuals that were sitting at our table, and I found it surprising in a particular case.

“I didn’t know you were in need of help, Vixy.”

The Fox Prime sighed as she started to tap the trigger end of the pen. “I don’t struggle much about it, but I wouldn’t mind improving to a better grade for once.”

I could see that the reason she was really annoyed today was related to the fact that she couldn’t join Tiggs’ group. A feeling I was sharing too since I would’ve wanted to be dealing with cooking rather than History since the former point was easier for me to explain compared to the other one.

I could still manage with the subject, but Cooking was… something I could handle better.

“Fair enough,” I mused out loud before turning the conversation. “I suppose you all have the textbook and some paper you can use for this first session.”

Toby nodded, a small smile finally poking through his nervous expression since he didn’t like the subject, but he was still interested in putting some effort into passing it this year. With the guy looking determined, Miles couldn’t help but try to copy him regarding his interest as he displayed the emptiest notebook he brought for the occasion.

Some doodles, a minor attempt at taking notes… I really needed to discuss this with both Shin and Hope, or else the Cat Prime was really going to have problems by the end of the semester. Speaking of the two ‘missing’ friends, I glanced briefly at the table they were sitting by, the very one that had Naerie joining in for the sake of ‘studying the situation’.

It would be a lie to say that the Bear Prime really needed to be in a study group since most of the subjects she was going through weren’t commonly taken by those at their ‘first year’. And it certainly created a suspicious situation about this decision from her part if one was to consider how well she was handling the homework. I just had a few situations where I could pay attention to her notes and problem-solving, and while I couldn’t understand much of it, I could tell from her ‘emotions’ that she knew what she was doing.

As I thought about the red-haired young woman, I couldn’t help but ponder once again about what happened just a week earlier. Not the conversation… but what led to the conversation to happen. I was attuned to Wisdom Magic, and for some unexplained reason we ended up creating a bond of sorts through our minds by… ‘making something similar to hallucinations’.

While we both tried to explain our own reasoning behind the sudden appearance of younger versions of ourselves, all theories fell short from actually giving us a solution to that unexpected conundrum. The phenomenon didn’t happen once again, and we were unable to study some more about the topic beyond the theoretical.

Naerie tried to contact her mother for some assistance, and while it took her awhile to get in contact with the suddenly ‘busy’ High Prime, the Wisdom Crest was more than happy to provide an answer that would only push us to study the situation even more.

‘ _** I can’t tell.’ ** _

She knew what was going on, but for some reason she was denying us a proper answer. Even a hint about the odd predicament would’ve been taken better, but Ambar was adamant in keeping quiet about the whole matter. The fact that she sounded ‘mirthful’ when Naerie first contacted her should’ve eased our worries of this being something troublesome.

But it didn’t and we were both seen spending a considerable amount of our free time by her room to brainstorm about this situation. Seven days went by without a proper road to take on the situation, and the fact that the others were getting suspicious of our serious meetings was enough to also force us to be discreet about the way we handled things.

“I believe we… are missing someone,” I finally muttered, turning to the empty chair beside Toby. “Actually, I don’t remember receiving requests from a fifth member.”

Angel hummed, looking up from her drawing. “That’s because it’s a guy that asked me for help about this. It’s a little surprise.”

I frowned. “A surprise?”

“Let’s just say that he normally doesn’t bother with study groups, but this time he really need this,” The Bunny Prime explained with a mysterious voice. “He is nice… most of the time.”

That really wasn’t helping me understand who it could be. But while I struggled figuring out the identity of the fifth member, I saw Toby’s eyes widening in realization and nodding at Angel while… Vixy groaned and facepalmed.

“Oh no...”

My frown deepening at this last reaction, I decided to inquire about it.

“You know who it is?”

She merely nodded, as before she had the chance to reply to me properly, I saw someone close up to Angel from behind her.

“Hello there, lovely,” A mirthful voice came from the newcomer, the guy lowering his head to plant a quick kiss on the Bunny’s cheek. “Is this the table?”

“Yes,” The young woman calmly answered. “We were just waiting for you.”

He shrugged, giving a swift apologetic smile. “Sorry pals, had to finish some businesses with the team and… this is my seat?”

I nodded, finally getting a good look at the Raccoon Prime that had decided to come by. Red-haired, the guy was built like a professional athlete, and since he was sharing a brief high-five with Toby while taking a seat, I could tell he was part of the Football Team.

But as I glanced even more at him, I couldn’t help but feel like I had already seen him before today.

“Oh, didn’t expect to have the ‘only human’ in this group. I’m Davin,” He reached out, trying to get a handshake, and… I returned the favor, just a little slower.

The name started to ring numerous bells at once. I could remember Vixy mentioning him when we first met, but I could recall her giving a… less flattering introduction compared to the restrained attitude I was currently facing. But while I could connect this without hesitation, I was quite sure that it wasn’t the reason why I felt like I had seen this guy before.

“Frankie…”

As our hands grasped, I could feel him tense up as he gave me a proper look. His yellow eyes widened just a fraction, and he gave a fascinated look.

“Did we meet before, human? I feel like your face is familiar.”

That sentence drew the attention of everyone at the table back at me. I felt their eyes silently scrutinizing me as I studied that very curious question myself.

“I… I was actually thinking the same. I think we’ve met each other a long time ago...”

“Really?” Toby asked, looking surprised. “Maybe it was during one of the few times Davin went to California. Did you say you live somewhere in there, Frankie?”

“Yes, but the city isn't a major point for people to go and visit,” I admitted with a frown. “Still… It was either there or...”

I paused, blinking as I felt my mind slowly connecting dots.

“I know this might sound like a sudden question but…” I gave the guy an interested look. “Do you still have your first football?”

Davin looked surprised by the question, and he contemplated it for some time. While the query might have sounded unexpected and oddly specific, the reason why I had asked him about it was correlated to the very thing that saw us meet. I could remember it, and, if he was really that much attached to the sport he was practicing, then he was going to remember that event too.

It took him a while to offer a slow nod as an answer, his eyes narrowing on me as he confusedly addressed the situation.

“Yeah, but why did you need to know that?”

“Do you remember who specifically gave it to you?” I pressed on quietly.

His look lessened for a moment. “I think it was a kid that wanted to play with me-”

“What about his name?”

He snorted. “Funkie or something like-”

…

“You mean to tell me that you were that kid,” The Raccoon Prime resumed with a surprised tone. “You were the one that gave me that football?”

“And the one that asked if you wanted to play a game with it,” I added with a small smile. “But I remember you as ‘David’, not Davin.”

…

“We were kids,” Davin answered with a shrug. “Still… I remember that being my first game ever.”

“You serious?” Toby quipped with a shocked tone. “Are you saying that Frankie was the one that introduced you to Football?”

I gave a slow nod at that, the details still not as complete as I would’ve wanted about the situation.

“ It was during a rare time I was away from home and going for a trip in New York. I think dad was asked by a couple of old friends to help coach some fighters and I remember mom taking me to central park to play,” I explained with a calm voice. “I remember playing for about twenty to thirty minutes before I saw  _ him  _ sitting mostly alone by one of the benches. He was looking at us and-”

“I couldn’t play with other kids,” The football player interrupted, taking over the narration as he added extra perspective to the tale. “My parents were still reluctant to let me spend time with children that were poorer than me. I was lucky enough that the guys watching over me didn’t have any orders that prevented me from accepting Frankie’s offer when he asked me to join their game.”

“And… how did that go?”

“We had a blast,” I replied with a bright smile. “It took Davin a while to get most of the rules down but he was natural. I bet you’re one of the best now.”

“Damn right,” The Raccoon Prime exclaimed with a grin. “I’ve been quarterback for a long time now. And Toby here tries to get my comfy position all the time.”

The mutual friend facepalmed at that. “That’s not… always true.”

“Still, quarterback? That’s a big achievement for sure.”

Before we had the chance to continue this conversation any longer, Angel sighed and closed her sketch book.

“Look, how about you two take your time to chat after we’re done with the study session,” The Bunny Prime offered blankly. “I’m sure you can do that instead of wasting our time now.”

…

“Sorry,” I muttered. “I guess we can do that.”

Davin gave a frustrated look at first, looking ready to ignore Angel’s proposal and go ahead with the talk, but he seemed to concede defeat at this turn as I complied with the implicit request of resuming the big activity of today.

As we all started with the session, I could feel Miles’ eyes on me as he tried to convey his absolute interest in knowing more about this newly-revealed connection I had with one of the most famous guys in the college. Vixy’s stare was less intense than that, and I could tell it was more disbelief than anything that could intend any accusations she was throwing at me.

I suspected she was just shocked by the novelty, but her mind was doing a fine job soothing her emotions from having her jump the gun at the situation. A talk was going to happen once we were done, but I was sure it was between me and the leader of the cheerleaders rather than with the quarterback.

Much to my surprise, I also discovered that Davin wasn’t much experienced with this kind of situation and seemed rather difficult to deal with at first. While he initially looked confident over the whole ‘study group’ effort, he was close to losing interest once he realized that he couldn’t be passed any answers during these important exams.

The news was as stunning for him as it was for most of the table since we couldn’t believe he had managed through that few years without having to handle this kind of test. I knew Quarterback would receive some favoritism for the fact they were expected to spend a considerable amount of time training and getting done with their practice matches, but to see how much it means here at Prism Uni… I couldn’t help but feel a degree of jealousy.

Could it be something that was extended to other sports? I was so tempted at the chances of trying out something serious with soccer, knowing that I had a decent capacity in playing as a Striker. It wasn’t going to be my route to legitimate work, but if I could ease up a little bit the burden, I wouldn’t mind giving it a go.

With the session going smoothly, I soon ended up making my way back to the dorms alone with Vixy. Miles decided to linger around Davin a little longer, and I could just sigh as I knew what he was trying to accomplish by doing that.

I had plans to discuss it with him later… but right now I found myself dealing with a completely unexpected situation as I found myself discussing with the Fox Prime about a particularly interesting topic.

_** One that easily threatened the current peace of things that currently existed. ** _

\---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d----------

“Do you think I should drop some of the sessions with the girls to allow everyone to study properly?”

I blinked, glancing away from the shelves I was filling with the textbooks and notes I had brought to the cafeteria. Vixy was sitting by my bed, her eyes aimed at me as she regarded me with a curious look. With Shin still busy with his own study group, the dorm room was devoid of any individuals beyond us two.

“You could try to ease a little bit. I don’t think you should drop too many since activities like that could also be taken as means to relieve frustration,” I offered as an advice. The girl hummed, accepting my answer as she quietly waited a little more, looking around the room.

“Also, there is something I wished to ask since you’ve not mentioned it just yet,” The young woman spoke once more. “Do you know what will happen once the exam period is over?”

…

Blinking again, I turned once again to stare at her. This time, since I was done with my tasks, I decided to approach her before continuing that conversation. I sat down beside her, giving her a quizzical look before nodding.

“I believe there is going to be another month before the Christmas holidays,” I suggested, still confused by the sudden question. “Is there something I’m missing?”

“Well, by the end of the month there will be the… Parents’ Visit Day.”

Oh. I had completely forgotten about that very occasion. It was one of the few unique ‘holidays’ that the school offered to its students. Families would be allowed to visit and spend time together for the rest of the lessons-less day.

It would be a difficult day for me since I would have to prevent my mother from causing any absurd ordeals while reacting to my current situation and my friends. And the possible candidates to become my girlfriend. I could feel dread at the chance of facing that kind of situation… but I was more than certain that it could’ve been managed without too much of a hassle.

“I kind of forgot about that… but I guess you’ve a good reason to bring it up now, right?”

Vixy gave a slow nod, appearing for some reason… nervous about it. Tiggs had told me that she had some trouble with her mother, but I knew too little about it to make any assumptions. Maybe it was about not embarrassing herself in front of her parents? I couldn’t tell until he told me the truth.

“Well, dad said he was going to be there and… mother made plans to join too,” She started with a shaky tone. “Things are going to be complicated. I really thought I could just… you know, ignore being judged by her but-”

“But you don’t feel you can do this without support,” I interjected, getting another nod from her. I sighed, thinking about it for a moment before offering a continuation to that. “I can be around when she arrives. But that means you will have to deal with my mother too.”

Curiosity replaced part of her uneasiness, a gleam of interest building up at the mention of my mom.

“You know, you haven’t mentioned much about your own parents. You did mention your father a while ago, but you were rather quiet about your mother,” She said while tilting her head to the side, her light-blue orbs aiming once again at my own eyes. “Do you mind if I ask you about her?”

I eased down a little bit. “I don’t see why you can’t. Sure, go ahead.”

A small smile finally appeared on her lovely face, and soon Vixy started a long list of mostly nice questions.

“Is she just a housewife? You didn’t say if she had a job or not,” The girl started to ask.

It was a fair query since I never brought up if mom worked or not. I had mentioned before that dad used to be a boxer, but now as a semi-retired coach, it was easy to be interested in knowing if my mother did have a job before having me.

“To be fair, mom never told me what she used to do before having me. Once I was born, she was always at home to either tend to the house or take care of me whenever needed,” I explained with a quiet hum. “She said that while it was tough at times, she felt that leaving me to the care of a stranger like a babysitter wouldn’t have helped me become the ‘good man’ I am right now.”

Vixy nodded at that. “I can see the logic. Dad was the one that was around the most since his workplace is nearby home.”

“And now I want to know about your father,” I pointed out, drawing a snort from the girl.

“He is a mechanic. He had the means to drop his shift in case he needed to be at home to care for me. He was… rather considerate and kind throughout my childhood,” She replied softly. “And, to be honest, I’m excited to see him again quite soon.”

“Sounds like an interesting man. Wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

She giggled. “I don’t think he would be that happy to know I hang around a guy like you.”

I frowned at that, confusion exuded by my stare aimed at her.

“Why?”

“Well,” The young woman said with a calm tone. “I think he will think you’re someone that might try and steal her ‘princess’ away from him.”

...Oh. That would land me in a sudden minefield of uncomfortable questions. Very interesting that I was told about this so soon, and I could feel something in her voice that just suggested… that she wouldn’t have minded the misunderstanding herself.

I recalled the discussion I shared with Tiggs, my mind gearing up for that kind of occasion as I knew I couldn’t have alluded to any interest to go down that path. Not when I knew Traci was so invested on the matter and I didn’t want her to suffer because of my inability to stop this unexpected assault.

“I-I’m sure he will understand if I push it that we’re only good friends.”

I saw something crash within Vixy’s mind, but instead of reacting to this, she did her best to hold onto that composure of hers and try to divert the situation to a more favorable twist to the conversation. One that I was surprised to be subjected to considering how little chance of maneuver I had on the matter.

“Do you think she will mind the fact we will be close to each other when she comes here? Will she think that, you know, misunderstand too?”

I would’ve facepalm, the thought of the woman coating the Fox Prime with compliments, praises, and hugs all to ingratiate her and get her to make bolder attempts to get to my heart more than enough to leave me dreading that day as I knew I had to make plans to avoid the worst from happening. Seriously, why did I have to be put in that quandary? I was just a college student that wanted a simple time at Prism Uni, not someone that aimed at so many girls at once.

“It’s my mom. She will make all the misunderstandings whether we are close or not,” I admitted with a huff. “If there is something that I can tell without hesitation is that the woman is quite… chaotic when she wants to.”

Vixy’s smile twitched. “Sounds like someone is still close to their moms. Does that make you a… momma’s boy?”

I sighed, a smile appearing on my own face to match hers.

“I believe that’s better than being called a daddy’s boy.”

She let out a half-snort at my comeback. “Oh Gods, that would be... incredibly horrible and amusing at the same time.”

I chuckled, and that was the last hit that broke her composure and drew some laughter from the girl. We enjoyed the little reaction for a while, and I allowed the young woman to recover from that interesting rebuttal.

“Still, not as bad as being Daddy’s little girl.”

“You said that your dad was a nice father from the very beginning. I don’t see anything weird… yet.”

Vixy delivered a playful punch on my shoulder, nothing that really hurt me.

“I don’t believe you,” She remarked. “In fact, I know you’re just telling me that to make me feel better.”

I frowned. “Why would I do so? You don’t seem the kind of person that wouldn’t want that.”

…

“Wait, you mean to tell me that you wouldn’t sugarcoat anything I ask you about?” The Fox Prime inquired with a strange voice.

“I mean, I don’t see why would I need to-”

“What do you think of my clothes? I had to pick these quickly so… I didn’t have the time to check myself in the mirror back in my room,” She commented before I had a chance to finish that response.

My attention steered away at that request, I ended up looking down and… I noticed that her shirt had an opening to her modest cleavage. It was far from Tiggs’, but it was enough to get me to tense up a little at the clear attempt to get me to look down at her bosom.

“The shirt matches… well with the pants,” I curtly mentioned, drawing a sigh from her as she ‘fixed herself’ on the bed. Shaking a little to adjust her sitting, my eyes were once more caught by that fluffy sea.

“Yes, but… do you think I should’ve worn another shirt? I feel this one isn’t doing much with my back pain.”

…

“H-Have you tried a sports bra?”

“I have some, but most of those I had to send to the laundry since I had used them a lot,” The girl replied, almost appearing smug at my umpteenth effort to divert the attention away from the topic being foiled by her quick-thinking.

Dammit, she knows how I think.

“Well, maybe you… you could ask Tiggs if she wants to go on a shopping spree,” I suggested. “I bet she would be giddy to do that.”

Could this be the solution to the problem? I thought it was indeed the case as I saw a surprised look appear on Vixy’s face… only for the girl to smile deviously and give me a coy look.

“Or maybe you could be the one accompanying me,” She countered quietly. “You know, I never had someone besides Tiggs to accompany me in those trips, and I believe you’re rather unbiased about this kind of stuff.”

I felt a shiver go down my spine as she finally managed to land her head on my shoulder. I hadn’t seen her do that until it was too late, and it all happened while I was distracted by that fight of words and wills. She was good, but I was quite sure that this wasn’t just hers doing this.

…

Could I actually tell Hope that I couldn’t go after Vixy anymore?

Now I could see why the Fox Prime was being so flawless with her approach and… I felt frightened by the idea that I had been set up in that situation by my indirect intervention on the matters. I really needed to talk to Hope, lest things were going to grow uglier by the time Traci decided to confess her love to her close friend.

Despite my discovery, I decided to still keep an eye out for the present since Vixy was now close enough to land a kiss if she wanted. I needed a distraction, one that would work well against the girl without drawing any suspicion or hesitation from bailing in this close victory.

“How about… we go for some jogging today?”

…

“Jogging?” The Fox Prime inquired with a confused tone.

“Tiggs said you usually go for some training during the afternoon. I was thinking about going out for a run,” I elaborated, feeling hopeful that I had actually managed to find a way out. “So I was thinking to ask if you wanted to go out for some training with me.”

…

“I guess we could go try that,” She hummed quietly, her mood dampening a little bit. “But I will have to go back to my dorm room to change to something meant for running.”

“I will wait by the entrance of the dorms near the tracking field,” I offered, seeing a light at the end of that awkward tunnel.

Nodding, the girl looked ready to leave… but before she did that, she took a moment to look at my face with a curious expression. At first I thought she had seen something odd, prompting me to check with my hands about it, but soon she had her own fingers on my left cheek.

“Hmm, there is some leftovers from the food we ate with the others,” Vixy finally explained

Her thumb went to wipe off the piece which was close to my lips, and, retreating her hand away, she brought her thumb closer to her own lips to clean it.

My jaws almost dropped at the sight, almost provoking and alluding strongly to her interest on my part. Now I knew that she really wanted to become my girlfriend.

“I will go now, but I hope you will not get yourself in trouble while I’m away.”

I sighed.

“I will not.”

_** Hopefully. ** _

\----------- d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-

** AN **

** Who would’ve thought that Hope’s meddling would have quickly screwed with Frankie’s chances of doing things properly. **

_** I believe the Author might be somewhat aware of- ** _

** Oh please! I’m just the metaphysical manifestation of the guy. And I don’t know what’s going on here. **

_** ...What if I brought Hope here and we asked her ourselves. ** _

** A terrible idea- **

_** Oh? And why so? ** _

** You know better than me that Hope and I- **

_** Would definitely love chatting together again? Sure thing, I will call her now~! ** _

** Ambar, don’t you dare!! **


	18. Brain and Brawn (2)

**Chapter 18: Brain and Brawn (2)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

**~Hope’s POV~**

Shin had decided to go back to his room once their duties were completed. With Naerie excusing herself with the fact that she needed to get hold of some papers back in his room, this predicament saw a certain Gazelle Prime that decided to tag along for the walk just to chat.

At least, that was the excuse Hope had used as she carefully planned out a ‘brilliant’ effort to get an important matter finally solved for once. Something that should be easy to ask considering how much time had passed and ‘how unexpecting’ the young man was over the matter itself.

Quietly watching as the blond went through his books to recover a couple that would’ve helped for the next few hours of lessons, the girl’s green eyes scanned around for anything that either could've disrupted her efforts or make even things more awkward than she needed them to be. After delivering a soft sigh while mustering up all the courage she had within her heart, Hope spoke up.

“ So, how are you enjoying your time at Prism Uni?” The girl asked with a mostly calm voice. “I mean, beyond finding teachers and their subjects nice and all, did you end up making any friends while I wasn’t looking?”

Pausing from his little search, Shin looked up to Hope, his eyes shining with a confused glint as he spent the next couple of moments pondering over that query. While it was true that there wouldn’t have been a chance for him to have befriended anyone with both her and Frankie keeping an eye over his actions at school, the real reason behind the question was to slowly coax him to talk about his current social life. From there, Hope would’ve asked about any ‘romantic’ interests and maybe get some clues on whether her attempts had left a lasting effect on the boy’s heart.

“ I… I actually met a couple of nice individuals,” Shin answered with a quiet tone, drawing a curious look from the fellow Prime at the unexpected answer. “They were from the chess club, and they wanted me to join their club.”

Maybe it happened while Frankie was with him. She couldn’t recall anything of that kind, yet this wasn’t too bad. Making more friends meant that he was going to eventually build some awareness about his social situation and… possibly spot more clues for what she was trying to do with their friendship. Sadly for her, that notion was dashed with a sigh from the younger student.

“ I decided to decline the offer. They accepted rather graciously and-”

“ Wait, you- why?”

Why would he do that? There didn’t seem to be any reasons plausible enough to refuse this opportunity. Sure, the Chess Club wasn’t shown nicely by TV comedies, but that didn’t mean it was a horrible place where to learn and ‘fight’ those that had a good grasp on the game. And being familiar with Shin’s mind, it seemed odd to wrap her head about this new development. She really needed some answers.

“ Uh? Why what?”

“ Why did you refuse to join that club?” Hope elaborated with a confused frown. “I thought you would’ve been happy to be part of a group like that. Didn’t you tell me you like chess?”

“ I like it… but not enough to join a club dedicated to it,” The boy answered readily. “Plus I don’t feel like joining a club.”

That got a perplexed look out of the girl. “Are you having some troubles with the notes and lessons?”

Despite her mind bringing that up as a possible reason, she already knew that Shin had only recently got a proper handle over that tight schedule. He would still waver from time to time, but not as much as he used to back during a couple of weeks earlier.

“ Not as much as I had early on. No, that isn’t the reason,” The blond responded, confirming her own line of thought. “No, I just… feel like I wanted to do something a little simpler. Something that could become a good hobby even after we’re done with our studies.”

Now that was a concept that wasn’t truly difficult to understand and agree to. In fact, this very reasoning was the same as the one driving her to actually going through her interest with the Singing Club. After contacting the students that were administering it, Hope had decided to set up a little appointment in a couple of days, at least to see what kind of standards she would’ve to uphold if she wanted to be part of a club of that caliber.

On the same note, Shin was perhaps evaluating the chances of expanding on an interest he knew he could make into a proper job or… even something to back up to in case his first attempt at the difficult world of workers ended up in a failure. Still, her curiosity increased at that comment, and she decided to inquire about it some more.

“ And that is? Do you have any specific interests in any clubs in particular?”

He hummed, outright stopping with his actions to give more serious input about the topic. Knowing how devoted he was about these kinds of stuff, the young woman wasn’t too surprised by the fact he was actually paying so much effort to get through with it.

“ Well, there is the photography club,” He pointed out with a sliver of nervousness. “I’ve heard that once in a while there are contests of different subjects to take a picture of and the best one wins a cash reward.”

“ I’ve… heard of that too,” Hope admitted, her eyes narrowing as she noticed how ‘suspicious’ Shin was appearing in that specific situation. “From Frankie. He said he was making plans to join it as well a couple of days ago.”

And now the blond was mentioning his own interest in joining that same club. This was enough to remind the Gazelle Prime of a curious situation that was going on involving Shin and Frankie. Something that she wasn’t unsure how to tackle without the human’s own intervention on the matter.

Shin was, by all means, an independent guy. He would work to find balance in a new situation, make friends when needed, and even stop ‘playing nice’ if the circumstances called him to do so. He was an all-around good person with many qualities… but also a couple of flaws that weren’t non-negligible. Starting from his incapacity to spot any romantic interest was shown to him through indirect means, to the fact he would prefer to stick to a small group of people he knew and trusted instead of trying to reach out for himself for more people to befriend.

This last detail was mostly evident when it came about Frankie. While the human didn’t do anything noteworthy in the eyes of many, the fact he managed to treat Shin as a fellow student while also being rather open to support the fellow guy in any difficult situation was enough to warrant some degree of admiration from the younger Prime.

If there was something that was easy to pick up from the blond, it was that he fit the idea of a perfect ‘young brother’ to anyone that could’ve worked to obtain that curious surrogacy. Frankie was someone that was helpful with those he cared a lot for, and wouldn’t shy away from pressing onwards to know if there was a problem with anyone. This worked well with the fact that their short mutual friend seemed to have an easier time when a comment or a question was delivered in a more direct manner.

With the human being a mix of genuineness and bluntness, that made him a curious element for Shin to keep track on. Not only did Frankie help him when necessary, but he wouldn’t shy away from asking for help for himself. That was more than enough to draw them into a pleasant status quo that was not limited by that friendship, but also not too deep to make an awkward siblings duo.

And while these two being this close in such a simple way shouldn’t be anything to worry about, the real problem stemmed from the fact that, by being this close to the human, Shin was also easy to follow any initiative taken by the trusty roommate. Like a baby duckling trying to follow around a mama duck, copying anything that it would consider an example to strive for.

In this case, Shin was picking up that club mostly because he knew someone he could put faith behind was also joining that group. The issue here though was that this meant Shin was going to be less inclined in making more friends beyond those introduced by Frankie himself. Thus he was going to be unable to pay attention to her if he was distracted by his own roommate during most of his free time.

“ Would you believe it if I said that Frankie’s decision to join it too wasn’t relevant to this?”

The fact he had to ask instead of confidently following through with that part of the conversation was enough to get Hope to frown at him.

“ Nope,” She flatly replied. “In fact, I would say you’re lying an awful lot over the last few weeks.”

“ T-That’s not true.”

“ Then tell me that you hadn’t been following around Frankie and actually tried to make some friends other than him.”

Even though she already knew the answer to that, Hope wanted to believe Shin actually made an effort to get some more people to trust and care about. Maybe it was her love that caused her to speak up in her stead, or maybe it was common sense finally flaring after so long. In the end, this could’ve been handled much better than like this, especially with how easy it was to get Shin to think about how he was being in the wrong.

“ I did?”

She sighed, making a monumental feat by holding herself from facepalming at the response. Even with all the love she had for him, the Gazelle Prime had to be honest with him about this awkward predicament. All for the sake of giving herself the best advantage possible out of this odd circumstance.

“ You know better than me that you would fare much better if you didn’t limit yourself to only a small group of friends.”

“‘ Small’? I don’t think I should try to befriend half of the school to fit that quota of yours, Hope,” He quickly remarked, getting a hum out of the fellow Prime.

“ I think you’re willfully failing to spot an issue with understanding how things are. Most of the new people you might consider friends right now are more… friends to Frankie,” The girl delivered the harsh truth despite the fact her chest ached at the fact she had to say this. “He is the one that befriended them first, and the one that they are more accepting of such titles when this is brought up.”

“ I… I guess I haven’t interact much with them much, but-”

“ But you really need to have something more than just a handful of us,” Hope pressed on with a more determined voice. “You’re easily one of the most likable individuals someone could meet. The only thing holding you from actually trying is yourself.”

“ S-Still, when should I do something like this?” He inquired once again. “I’ve been busy and… I just can’t ditch one of my responsibilities just like that.”

“ Hm, I think I can call someone I know in our classroom if he can get all notes down while we’re busy now-”

“ N-Now?” The boy asked in a mix of surprise and confusion.

“ Yes, I can’t just leave you to try and ‘forget’ about this conversation once I’m back in my own dorm room. As I said, you really need to make more friends out of this experience. You can’t just expect for people to just accept you as a friend on a tiny whim.”

…

“ F-ine, but can you tell me who is this friend you’re going to ask to write down the notes?”

Hope merely smiled, deciding not to reply to that query as she knew that answer wouldn’t work well for the two of them. And despite knowing how much of a ‘desperate move’ it was for her, she still decided to entertain it. So, once she decided to walk out of that room to call her ‘friend’, she prepared for something quite tough considering she was aiming to employ the services of a lazy individual.

_**For some bizarre reason, Miles started to sneeze a lot, drawing some attention right at himself as he tried to appear cool with a couple of ladies.** _

\--------------d-d-d-d--------------d-d-d-d-------

“ Are you sure everything’s alright, Tiggs?” I asked with a confused look, trying to make sense of why the girl seemed so unfocused today. The young woman merely sighed, a little dejected for some reason, and her capacity of answering questions on the matter was met with a tired look and either a shrug or a long sigh. In the meantime, I tried to keep our station working properly as we went through the latest lecture with Professor Cracco.

Differently from the last couple of lessons we had with him, the older Prime had decided to move something tamer. Today we were supposed to try and prepare some steaks. Those weren’t meant to be sampled by anyone except the teacher himself, with the man bringing up how this was perfectly normal to find during culinary contests. The plates would barely be tested by the judges, all for the sake of not wasting too much time in the voting phase of these competitions.

By bringing this topic up, he also went through a heated rant about his rival and ‘enemy’ from time to time. I had heard about Alsadia and her culinary school, but I was caught off-guard when I realized that the two had been at each other’s throat for decades now. Both were incredibly talented and experienced chefs, but I wasn't sure how and why these two came to hate each other this badly for so long.

A surprise to be sure, and one that did little to soothe my current worries about my usual partner. So while I kept attentive enough to still understand what the main theme of the lecture was about, I still had to give a solid look over the task at hand and the current plight left by the Tiger Prime. Tiggs looked rather defeated, her mood and presence in the station reaching an almost brainless state. She still worked on a small section of the counter, but she was only making the minimal effort compared to what I knew her to be capable of.

The more I looked at her, the more I could tell that I was somehow implied to the cause of this, especially with the couple of looks she spared in my general direction from time to time. I was still recovering from the jogging session I had gone through with Vixy, my head still hurting a little at how intense her efforts to make her interests were. The more I interacted with the Fox Prime, the more I was compelled to find Hope as fast as humanly possible to ask her to stop giving the fellow girl these kinds of ideas.

I could appreciate the drive, but I was slowly growing uncomfortable by how pushy and flawless her efforts were being at the moment. It would’ve been a brilliant way to be interested in a proper date, but knowing what was going on in Traci’s mind, I couldn’t allow myself to do that to her just yet.

“ Tiggs… come on, don’t make this more difficult. Did I do something to get you this angry at me?”

“ I’m… not angry,” She muttered distractedly. “I’m just… angry at myself.”

“ But why?” I pressed with some extra worry in my voice. “I want to help you.”

“ I… I know. It’s just that I did something silly that you might not like.”

“ I will not be angry.”

“ You should be,” She shot back with a sigh. “It has to do with… Vixy.”

...Could it be that-

“ Did you perhaps tell her how to talk with me with… confidence and a general sense of understanding about how I act?” I inquired, getting her to look even more terrible at that reminder. “I’m not angry at this. This is just a minor annoyance at best.”

“ I shouldn’t be helping that misconception,” The big girl reminded with a sigh. “Yet I spoke too much, and she ended up inquiring about anything she could use to get your attention when I mentioned knowing a lot about you.”

“ If it can help, I can say it was a piece of some very good advice you gave her. She had me on the edge most of the time during jogging,” I admitted, getting a small snort out of her.

“ It doesn’t, but I’m glad to know I’m not wrong about the kind of girl you find interesting.”

I nodded. “Well, I’m happy that I have someone that knows me so well then. Now, I feel like I should make my own effort to see what puts you in a good mood.”

“ Good luck with that,” Tiggs muttered quietly. “Right now, I’m very gloomy and sad and-”

“ Rather melodramatic. I was planning to give you a hug.”

She frowned at me as I said that. “And now you’re not?”

“ I will hug you later. Once I’m sure you’re ready for that embrace.”

…

“ If I say that I wouldn’t mind if you went for it now, would you do it?”

My smile widened. “Is that an invitation.”

…

“ Yes.”

I chuckled, halting with my current tasks for a brief moment just so that I could reach and give her a quick hug. She hummed, enjoying the closeness for a moment before sighing tiredly.

“ I thought you would’ve hated the fact I’m literally making your life harder,” The Tiger Prime admitted. “You know, helping Vixy with that whole situation-”

“ I know you’re doing this because you’re close with her too. I don’t mind this since I know you don’t intentionally mean it as a way to annoy me… and I appreciate your honesty,” I added with a nod. “I swear, your sweetness will never stop astonishing me.”

She huffed, her cheeks flaring a pretty red. “That’s mean.”

“ Why? I’m telling the truth.”

A groan left her lips as she had to concede on that point. Eventually the station started to regain momentum, our pace picking up as we made the proper number of steaks that the teacher had requested from us. Time passed by rather quickly, with no more issues coming up as we passed the test with flying colors, getting a round of applause from the classroom as Professor Cracco ended up relenting and allowing the others to try out the steaks we had made.

Still, as we prepared to leave the classroom with the rest of the students, we found ourselves stopped by the teacher himself.

“ Mr. Parker, Ms. Biggs. I believe we have a long-overdue conversation between the three of us.”

We did stop, walking up to the man’s desk while looking at him with confused looks. I couldn’t remember anything I did that could be worthy of this situation, and for a moment I thought it might be something to worry about with how intense the professor was looking at us.

“ If you both remember, I had to wait confirmation before giving you an answer over the chances of you two being hired as chefs at Shark Bites,” The Dog Prime explained with a sigh. “The owner was interested in this possibility, but still had to give me a day when she was available to have you two interviewed for the job.”

“ I almost forgot about that,” I admitted sheepishly, with Tiggs following my example by nodding in agreement to that awkward realization. These last days were full of so much stuff that I couldn’t keep up with everything. “Still, I guess she gave you a date for us to visit.”

He nodded. “Tomorrow, between the lunch shift and dinner shift.”

I was surprised by the timing, but before I could say anything about it, I was beaten to it by the Tiger Prime.

“ I don’t have cheerleader practice, so I should be able to do that,” She said as her green eyes shifted to look at me. “Are you free tomorrow?”

“ Yes,” I muttered. “Just a little surprised by how close it is, but I guess the owner has her hands busy with her job.”

“ Yes, she is rather busy most of the time and has to rely on her workers to get the property running smoothly and without any major issues,” The professor admitted. “Still, she was able to make time for a simple interview with you two. Pass it, and the job is yours.”

“ Understood, sir,” I muttered with a nod.

Tiggs was smiling mirthfully at the news. “Yes and… thank you, sir.”

“ For what? You still have to go through the job interview. The first one at that.”

Yes, that was going to be quite a problem. While I did have experience with part-time work in the past, I’ve never had a serious job interview until that very point. Dad’s reputation and my own were enough to make me stand out as a trustworthy and capable individual, but it was mostly because those weren’t jobs that require much education or anything specific.

Still, it was an opportunity I wasn’t planning to waste. Especially with how important that could become for both Tiggs and I if we went well through that interview.

Just as we ended up accepting this, the teacher’s expression and demeanor seemed to change into something more serious. The sudden switch got us to tense up again, and this time we knew that something important was soon going to be said.

“ I have a big favor I need to ask you.”

“ Sir?”

He gave a quick nod, then a sigh.

“ Around summertime, there is going to be a culinary competition between Prism Uni and Alsadia’s Cooking School. It’s a yearly appointment that is usually a reason to receive funds for the cooking classes here in this school and the two schools have been rivals ever since Alsadia decided to create this independent establishment,” The man explained with a serious tone. “I would normally not allow young students to compete, but considering how well you’ve fared until now and from the potential I can pick up from the last few tests, I can tell that you might have just enough to bring us to victory.”

“ So… how does that exactly work?”

“ I will set up a schedule of extra lessons after Christmas Break. I will help you learn even more than what the class usually teaches so that you will be ready to take on the challenge with a determined smile on your faces and pride at heart,” The professor continued with a nod. “I know this will be tough and that might sound like I’m asking a lot from you, but I believe you two can do it.”

“ This… is a tall order,” I pointed out, looking up to Traci for confirmation. The girl nodded silently and I resumed my response. “But I suppose we can give it some thought. Do we need to give an answer now or-”

“ You can think about your responses until the beginning of Christmas Break. I would prefer to receive it a couple of days before that, if it’s not asking too much from you two.”

“ We will keep that in mind,” The Tiger Prime commented quietly. “It’s a big step, but I feel confident the answer will be positive. We just need to...”

“ Check if this new task would not be too much for our current situation here at Prism Uni,” I concluded for her.

Professor Cracco nodded, smiling happily at those responses.

“ I’m glad to hear that. Then I will await with interest how your interview will go tomorrow,” He added with a friendly tone. “Also, I wish to say I’m sorry I might have taken away too much from your time together. I glad to see a young couple forged through a love for cooking-”

“ Sir, we’re not a couple,” Traci quickly pointed out, drawing the man to a confused look.

“ What?”

“ We are… not dating,” I slowly replied. “We’re just really close friends.”

“ Oh? Is that so?” He muttered with a dejected tone, looking at the desk with a defeated look. “This is… quite a surprise.”

“ Is that a problem?” I asked with a confused look, noticing how his mood had deflated at the discovery.

“ Not for you. Just… my wallet might not be feeling well for the next few days...”

That allusion eluded my mind since I couldn’t understand why us not being a couple had to do with his wallet. In the end we didn't press for more, realizing that whatever was going on was either too insane or private to warrant any further questions about it.

_**Still, why did I feel like I should’ve been angry at all teachers?** _

**\---------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d----------**

**AN**

_**Do you want to talk about this?** _

**What is ‘this’, Hope?**

_**The fact you’re making me appear this…** _

**Mature?**

_**I would say with my priorities lied out this well. I didn’t expect you to do this kind of work after what happened last time.** _

***Sighs* I’m not someone that holds grudges.**

_**A pity. Would’ve make this whole situation a little less… awkward.** _

**Did Ambar really pull you off from one of your concerts just for this?**

_**She actually proposed. I was the one that wanted to check on you.** _

**I… I’m fine.**

_**You don’t sleep a lot.** _

**I’m working on it.**

_**I believe your lone working isn’t doing it. I believe I will keep around until you get some proper sleep hours.** _

**Now, that’s cruel.**

_**Says the one that hid my bikini a while ago to-** _

**Don’t say that! I don’t want people to know.**

_**...So that I would be forced to stay in the room with you!** _

**Dammit Hope!**

_**Heh~ Gotcha~!** _


	19. Brain and Brawn (3)

**Chapter 19: Brain and Brawn (3)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

Waiting was the worst thing I could’ve imagined facing when dealing with my first job interview. And the fact Tiggs was suffering worse, clinging to me for moral support, further heightened the nervousness I was feeling.

We both sat in some chairs just outside the main office of Shark Bites’ owner, and had yet to see any familiar faces. Neither Xeanica or Calypso were around when we first entered the building, with one of the interns allowing us in and leading us to the room where the big boss was currently finishing some paperwork.

While I could understand the Tiger Prime’s worries and reaction, I was still annoyed by how her tenseness caused her to overdue the strength she used in hugging my right arm. My limb was constricted within her chest, and while I wasn’t planning on commenting about the curious development, I was still too stressed to actually be paralyzed by the current predicament.

We needed to make a good first impression with the owner if we wanted to be hired and… this job would surely help up a lot with the money I currently had. I had been quite parsimonious when it came to buying, but I figured it wasn’t going to last me forever. And finding work seemed more interesting compared to just calling home for some more. Especially if this experience would add more good points to my credentials for other jobs.

“We’re going to pass this together, Tiggs,” I encouraged, holding back as much anxiety as I could. “I’m sure of it.”

“I hope so. Maybe… maybe we should’ve cooked something, I don’t know… done some warm-ups before coming here.”

I frowned. “I don’t think the owner will ask us to cook something.”

“And you know this, how?”

I was opening my mouth to answer that, but paused in silence as I realized that it could still be a possibility. It wouldn’t be too unusual for owners of an establishment that dispensed food to test their chefs by having them prepare something to sample.

“Exactly,” She spoke again, noticing my uncertain look. “Since this place is quite popular, surely they’ll have us prepare something. Maybe we will do this one at the time and… and that’s...”

“Hold up, Professor Cracco said things would be fine,” I reminded her. “He seemed rather certain of this. Surely he didn’t send us to fail so quickly, at least not with the fact that he wants us to compete in a few months with that other cooking school.” 

…

“You know what? I can actually accept that,” The girl admitted. “Professor Cracco doesn’t seem the kind of person that could set us up for this kind of failure so… maybe it will really go well for us both.”

“It will,” I said while nodding, patting and rubbing her upper back. “And then you will tell your mom that you got yourself a job. Surely, she will be happy about that.”

Her smile widened. “She will also lament how I’m growing too fast and-”

“That she missed having to hold a little version of you?” I finished for her, the girl snorting and shaking her head.

“Your mom is like that too, right?”

“It will be a chaotic day when our parents meet,” I pointed out with a little grin. “Actually I’m already shuddering just thinking about it.”

“And I’m trembling in fear at what madness our mothers will accomplish the moment they become friends.”

We shared a chuckle, finally enjoying a positive moment together.

Once we walked inside, our eyes widened in surprise as we noticed that the owner had just finished talking to Calypso and Xeanica. The two waitresses turned to spot us, now smiling and nodding in our direction.

“Hi, colleagues!”

“Howdy, new chefs,” The tallest of the two greeted us.

“Not yet, girls,” The Orca Prime sitting by the desk muttered. She was the individual that we met a while ago behind the counter of the restaurant and… she turned out to be the boss of the place? “Still, I’m glad to finally have you join us. Traci and Frankie, please take a seat.”

I nodded and walked toward the free chairs in front of the owner, before waiting for this interview to truly start. I was mostly certain we weren’t going to be asked to cook as we hadn’t been taken to the kitchens, but… maybe they would only ask some questions before then directing us to cook a meal for them to test.

I was really hoping to be wrong about this, and thus kept quiet. First, the owner had to… make a real introduction.

“Before we start, I believe I should formally present myself,” The old woman muttered kindly. “I’m Hualani Keona, I’ve worked in the sector for thirty years now and I’m the owner of this beautiful place.”

There was a brief pause after this and… I realized she wanted us to speak and present ourselves. Glancing at Tiggs, the girl hadn’t caught up with her just yet and, deciding against messing with her chances of success, I introduced myself first.

“I’m Frankie Parker. I’m currently a student at Prism University and I’ve been cooking since I was 16. My mother is an experienced cook that had a job as a chef when she was younger, but eventually had to resign due to problems at the workplace,” I started to say with a somber voice. “I’ve been refining my style by working with a few chefs at restaurants near home for a while, but never worked as an official chef myself.”

“You have experience, not enough to make you confident at this stage,” Hualani replied with a calm smile on her face. “Cracco said you two are ready for this, but I will make a informed decision only after I’ve heard your introduction, Ms. Biggs.”

The Tiger Prime nodded and… put up a confident front. 

“My name is Traci Biggs, my friends like to call me Tiggs and… I learned how to cook through my mother. She is the chef and owner of a restaurant back home,” The fellow student started. “I’ve refined on my own and learned to grow from past mistakes. I believe I’m ready to take this huge step forward, and I want to do this together with my best friend.”

The Orca Prime nodded mirthfully at this. “I believe that’s a good ambition, especially since you both have the qualities to back up your determination.”

“Still boss, I believe you have yet to ask ‘em a couple of important questions,” Calypso piped in with a curious look, getting a nod of agreement from her colleague and lover.

“Something simple yet… important,” Xeanica proposed. “What about a specific question?

An important question? What were they talking about?

I was baffled by this turn the conversation was taking, and could see Traci growing confused about this twist herself. I was about to inquire about this when I was stopped by a serious glance from the owner as Hualani offered a tired sigh and a solemn nod.

“I guess you’re both right, girls. I really didn’t want to ask this since I believe the answer should be blatant for anyone that has a good eye on this kind of thing,” The woman turned to look right at us once she was done with this first half. “Still, I hope you both understand that I have to ask this question because a couple of individuals that I’ve spoken with quite recently have asked me to question you two about this.”

I tensed up again, befuddled by what this woman was trying to convey, and the Tiger Prime sitting beside me didn’t seem to fare any better with this odd circumstance. Something was off about this sharp turn away from the previously-pleasant conversation. Something sinister and-

“Are you two a couple?”

…

“No.”

“Nope,” Traci flatly added, mimicking my own tone.

“What? Come on, there is no way I really lost money- I mean there is no way you two are this cute together and not… well, together-together.”

“There is nothing wrong in being affectionate as friends,” I lamented quietly. “We just are fairly close.”

“Frankie is my best friend. Sure, he’s nice and attractive, but I can’t see him beyond that.”

“You’re cute too,” I mirthfully remarked, getting a soft nudge from her elbow onto mine.

“Flatterer,” She said while giggling.

“See, there is no way you two youngsters can be this close and not be dating.”

I sighed dryly at this and looked squarely in her eyes. “Ms. Keona, I spoke with a couple of older students, long enough to know about the bets.”

She tensed up, garnishing a surprised look from her subordinates.

“Bets?”

“Only a silly thing that Cracco pulled me into,” Hualani explained. “It’s just a little game between teachers, parents, and other individuals about pairings made with students. The ‘Tiggsie’ ship seemed like a safe bet.”

“‘Tiggsie’?” Traci quietly commented , her eyes widening a fraction as a minor scowl on her face. “There are names for the ships?”

“There are many of those. And way worse-named than this one, trust me, dear,” The Orca Prime admitted and… then sighed. “Still, I shouldn’t delay the inevitable, so let's discuss your career here at Shark Bites.”

I could’ve pressed further on the matter, but ultimately decided to avoid placing myself in another awkward situation to further understand how deep this betting situation extended to. I knew it existed, but the fact there were even ship names got me curious about how many people were part of it.

“You two seems to be qualified. Cracco vouched for you, and also sent some food you’ve made for me to test,” The woman added with a hum, a smile returning to her face as she noticed we were once again surprised by this. “And I have to say that this level of quality is what would bring the restaurant into a unforseen tier of popularity.”

“So we are-”

“You’re both hired,” Hualani confirmed brightly. “So yes girls, they are now your colleagues.”

“Yay!” Xeanica exclaimed.

“Welcome aboard, mates,” Calypso said while smiling brightly. “I sure hope to see you a lot more now.”

With the interview finished, we were given our first task. I was a little surprised that, as soon as the interview completed, we were invited to test the kitchen. The chefs were still there despite the fact the shift was over, and they helped us understand how the kitchen operated here. They were supportive, correcting us on a few mistaken terms we used to address some supposedly familiar, but actually different, ingredients.

Some weren’t native to the area, and we failed to recognize them at first glance, but they mentioned that it was normal for us to be unprepared with food we had never cooked before. We were not only given a quick tour of the place, but also shown how to properly prepare the two main dishes of the restaurant.

I was glad that the situation had turned out so well… excluding the fact that Tiggs needed to leave the kitchen earlier due to an emergency happening back at the school. One of the cheerleaders had tripped and hurt herself enough to be sent to the hospital. Vixie was already waiting at the entrance of Prism Uni for the Tiger Prime to come and walk with her to where the girl had been taken to.

The owner allowed the girl to leave for this predicament, leaving me alone for at least a full hour to complete what was left of the recipes, the rest of the place, and finally some of the rules I had to keep in mind while I was in the kitchens. I was to relay this last bit to Traci, something that I was quick to agree to as I planned to do so the very moment I found her tomorrow morning.

With that done, I bid a good night to the staff at Shark Bites and made my way back to the dorms. Tired and in need to unwind today’s stress through pleasant sleeping, I was ill prepared for the problem that the night was still young.

_**And that someone had set up an ambush just for me.** _

\---------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------d-d-d-d---------

**~Change of POV~**

Ifera smiled as she saw her target finally leave ‘Shark Bites’, alone and unprotected.

It took her a while to finally understand the situation regarding the human, but now she knew more than enough to know when and how best to strike. Studying him in the way he handled his days, his friends, his favorite topics, and interests.

While she didn’t entirely understand the individual that was Frankie Parker, she knew enough to set up an ambush to take him away from public sight and cast some powerful mind-spells to overwhelm his natural Wisdom-based shields. The plan was simple in design, and most of it was already done when she managed to get some specialists to fake a call to the companion the young man had when he first entered the food establishment. 

And even though there had been some uneasiness in having someone impersonate the daughter of the Fire Crest to create a distraction, the idea worked well enough as ‘Traci Biggs’ was sent bolting away from the building and back to Prism Uni, leaving Frankie unaccompanied in his return back home.

The Narakhan assassin was almost salivating at this golden opportunity, but before she allowed herself to be further distracted by anything around, she made all the procedural ponderings over how she would to subdue the human. He was a little rusty, but still strong enough to use his fists thanks to a few years of training in boxing. The fact that he now had some form of understanding in his Wisdom-related powers would be troublesome, and added a new factor to keep under control.

People capable of using Wisdom magic were known to be able to make use of the full potential of their magic when in a situation of true distress. And if Ifera failed to take him down quickly, things would certainly go badly for her. She needed to strike swift and true.

Sighing in an effort to steel her nerves, the Coyote Narakhan carefully crouched behind some trash cans while she waited for Frankie to approach her little hideout. She unconsciously started to count the seconds under her breath, almost feeling them match the pounding of her heart as she knew that this was it. If she got through with this, she would acquire a large enough opening to finally capture Shin Aryoko and have a better chance at taking the heiress to the Kingdom of Prism.

Things would turn well for the Narakhans, she would be the one that would directly bring the Emperor back and… she would be rewarded handsomely. Prestige, reputation, and everything she could crave for until she would die of old age.

A blink, then two. Ifera noticed the distant figure that was easy to recognize as Frankie now passing near the alley, completely distracted as he was looking through messages in his phone. He was open for her attack... and so the Narakhan struck!

Throwing the binding chains she had recovered from a nearby hideout, she allowed for the enchanted weapon to tightly wrap around the surprised human’s limbs and body before pulling him in the alley with as much strength as she could muster. The result was excellent, the young man now yanked away from the streets as she prepared to jump him.

The young woman took a running start, leaping on some of the trash bins there nearby soaring above the panicking human before divining down on her prey. She landed, smoothly so, but not in the position she initially expected to land on.

A jolt went through her body, her eyes widening as she realized the way she was now sitting over him was… distressing. Probably for both from the struggling that was happening beneath her. Her dress had slightly parted in the descend, giving a clear opening for her target’s head to… end up close to her groin. A nervous gulp left her lips as she felt his warm breath over her nether region, remembering just now how she had decided to leave her remaining underwear to dry up and use the next day.

...This wasn’t optimal- but it wasn’t a problem for her. At least it wasn’t as she tried to move away before anything odd could’ve happened, only to realize that something was keeping her stuck in that awkward position despite her will to move away. The human’s arms, albeit restrained by the magicked chains, were now wrapping over her legs, forcing her to keep like this and… endure the frustrating situation. Her breath soon was caught on her throat as she felt the wetness of his lips rather close to her pussy, renewing the tension that had her entire body shivering at this point.

Ifera wasn’t a stranger to sex. Learning about the primary role for two individuals to be together was something the tribes had prioritized when younglings would reach their age of maturity. Mating, as it was best described by the elders, was the key to every life. And for people like Ifera, it wasn’t a thought that could be allowed to linger beyond a mere objective contemplation.

It wasn’t uncommon for assassins to be encouraged to spend ‘some time alone’ and ‘try to get the itch scratched’ beyond an important operation. It wasn’t an officially known rule, but it was one that was quietly encouraged to avoid any distractions to be born out from sexual frustration.

And since she was dealing with a monumental mission, the Coyote Narakhan should’ve dealt with her needs before going for such an important step in the big plan to bring back the Emperor. Excitement and other details got the priority about this essential requirement, landing her in hot water as the more she struggled against the human’s hold, the more she unconsciously pressed her crotch into his face.

Despite her knowledge, Ifera didn’t have any experience about mating itself. Nobody in her tribe had ever garnered her interest about this awkward topic, especially when everyone expected her to just turn in a breeding stock for them to use. The fools were easily ‘dismissed’ when they tried to corner her, and that event led to many individuals just shying away from even trying to do something with her beyond work-related things.

Sadly for the girl, the situation which she was now facing couldn’t exactly be handled the same way as before, especially in the very circumstance she had been left in. This predicament was unique since she didn’t have other weapons beyond the chains to retaliate against the human. There was no reason to bring blades when she was supposed to subdue her target without harming him. And now she was stuck like this and… she wasn’t unsure what to think of it.

One moment her mind was completely aimed at the simple plan, but the more she felt his lips now onto her pussy, the more her focus began wavering before the pure bliss that was to have someone pleasuring her in that manner. She imagined his tongue lapping at her wet groin, to drive her mind crazy _as she futilely tried to fight it back, for the Emperor, only for her primal lust to win over her soul and-_

_No! It’s not the time for fantasies. Especially ones as dangerous as this one._

Not only was Ifera risking screwing up a mission that was paramount for her tribe’s purpose, but she was also risking incurring some hefty crimes she was unwilling to actually go for by forcing herself onto her enemy. She wasn’t that kind of woman, she was beyond that and-

Her shivers doubled when she felt something wet clash onto her lower lips, the pleasure that she felt until that moment now paling before the intense sensation wrapping all over her body. For a moment she was thankful that she had been wearing her mask, else her moans would’ve been heard by her target.

Her mind, albeit partly compromised by this development, swiftly tried to give sense to what was going on. One moment the Narakhan assassin was thinking of what she was supposed to do, the other she was being pleasured orally by the human underneath her. Why would someone like Frankie decide to outright do this? Had he conceded? Was he trying to submit to her?

It would’ve been so easy for her if it had been the case, but then as Ifera unconsciously compared the current predicament to the previous efforts of drawing this kind of bliss out of mere fingering, the young woman remembered that there was an awkward end to this very experience. The moment she was to climax, her body would lose some of its strength because of the orgasm.

And if it was so tiring by just fingering, she could only dread what kind of drain it would’ve led her to suffer if she allowed the human to get through with this effort. With this in mind, the Coyote tried to push herself off the awkward position, only for her to be pressed even more onto the human’s mouth and tongue. The shivers were soon taking over all movements in her body, forcing her to only endure and enjoy the current state of things.

Ifera knew she couldn’t just allow the human to have this leeway against her. She needed something to disrupt this disadvantageous predicament and… that thing was quite hard and creating a bulge on the human’s pants.

At first the girl felt it as her hands trailed behind her and landed near the young man’s groin. The concentration of heat and blood eventually brought her left palm to bring up to her attention the fact she wasn’t the only one feeling particularly horny in that circumstance. No, the human’s cock was pressing up in a full erection, and it was painfully hidden away in his pants. Her lips felt wetter as she carefully turned, surprised that the human's hold lessened just enough for her to turn around as she grasped at his shaft.

Despite being still stuck in that predicament, now she had a clear sight over her only way out of that lewd circumstance. Dropping her mask and reaching out for the boner, she paused to unfasten his belt and… stare quite nervously at the now exposed shaft. It was slightly bigger than the ones she had seen in the common baths back in the tribes and… that slightly put her off.

When the Narakhan first thought about her first blowjob, she imagined hating it because of the details surrounding such practice. No matter how she tried looking at the mental picture, she couldn’t just see herself liking that kind of sexual act despite how many good comments she heard from fellow girls that had tried it. But right now, as her nostrils tried to find anything disgusting about the dick… the young woman actually was surprised to find it that it didn’t stink at all. It didn’t make any specific smell and it felt clean.

Approaching it some more, Ifera blinked as she still couldn’t get anything abhorrent out of it. Could it be that it wasn’t really that bad? Her question drove her to actually give it a tentative lick. Her raspberry pressed by the tip, tasting some of the strange liquid that was already trailing down the length and… actually not be disgusted by it. It wasn’t a flavor she could like, but it was far from horrible.

Plus the girl was running on limited time as she could feel her body growing warmer by the minute with the lapping her needy pussy was receiving from the determined human. She wasn’t planning to be overwhelmed like this, not when success was around the corner. Waiting no longer, she finally wrapped her lips around his cock, enveloping its head and starting to lick around it while her right hand started to rub up and down along the length.

It had to be easy. A few moments of this and victory was meant to be hers to take. She was so certain of it… and then she realized that her plan wasn’t as flawless as she had wanted it to be. The process was monotone and she could tell the human was not feeling enough for the pleasure she was giving him to catch up with the one he was offering to her.

The Coyote Narakhan needed to pick up the pace, else this wasn’t going to be a humiliating defeat for her to remember.

Working the length faster, she suckered with more gusto, almost growing fascinated by the fact this act wasn’t that bad. Soon the girl took initiative and finally gobbled a few more inches inside her mouth, finally feeling the cock press by her throat in that effort. The more Ifera leaned down, the more her breasts were getting squeezed onto the human’s belly, with her hard nipples rubbing onto it and sending more pleasure through her body.

It was because of this bliss that she unconsciously dropped even more, finally feeling the shaft enter her throat and stop just there at the entrance. Eyes going wide at the development, she paused for a moment to grasp at the situation.

It wasn’t unpleasant, but she was worried it could turn into that if she tried to ‘deep throat’ during her first time. Surely she could stop a little before that, she thought quietly as she slowly slurped her way up and, once she was back to the head, down to a little after half the shaft. Slow and steady, she quietly gained momentum with her pistoning action.

Her mind was so centered on the current task that she forgot what she was supposed to do after that very ‘unpleasant’ activity. It didn’t take her long before she started to move fast enough to finally match up with the pleasure she was feeling. It was a stalemate in her mind, and she was slowly recovering and making her way to win that challenge. A filthy challenge, but one that would end up with her finally capturing the human and move closer to bringing back the Emperor.

Slurping and licking all around the cock, Ifera was devoted to bringing her target to orgasm and… she did while he did that to her too. Differently from her climax, the sudden stream of liquid that she knew was cum almost flew through her throat before she could’ve pulled away. The moment the first of the three loads opened the way to the others as she was completely unable to stop the cream from reaching down her throat and to her gullets.

A solid pop dignified her slow effort to pull herself away from the shaft, her mind still dizzy after that orgasm and the taste of cum lingering on her tongue. A sense of victory got her to remain awake for a moment, expecting for the human to be put out of commission after that perfect blowjob. But as the girl expected this to be her time to gloat, her hopes were dashed the moment the human started to move and… pull her away from him.

_No… no! How!?_

How was he still up after just that intense round? Her awe was mixed with her dread as she was turned around and allowed on the ground as her target slowly and carefully freed himself from the chains. Standing up, Frankie looked down at her as he fixed his exposed groin back in his pants.

An unpleasant silence filled the air, leaving Ifera befuddled as she failed to understand what had just happened before her eyes. Why was he just standing there? And why did he almost look unfazed by the draining ‘attack’?

He took a step towards her, letting panic finally surged into her mind as she realized something she had not taken into account previously. What were the odds that he would return the ‘favor’ back on her? While she knew Frankie Parker would never lay a single hand on a woman, this was far different since she had actually planned on hurting his friends.

She shivered, this time born from terror as she saw him approach without hesitation. She could only stare as he crouched down and… soon lifted her up. He moved away from the entrance of the alley and right where the girl had initially waited to spring the ambush. He lowered her down on a used mattress that was there and, pulling some sheets that were left there on the side of it, settled it over her body.

…

“W-What?”

He blinked, looking particularly surprised. “So, you’re still awake.”

She was never asleep to begin with!

“Why are you- I’ll- I will hurt those you care for and… and you-”

“I don’t know what happened a few moments ago. Something odd, but I can tell your heart wasn’t in it,” The young man muttered. “I mean, you don’t seem like that kind of pervert-”

“I- I’m not!” Ifera exclaimed, still weak from making a stronger point. “I… I wanted to just capture you and-”

“You missed the jump.”

…

She nodded, trying to close her eyes to hide the shame.

“You know, maybe that means something.”

…

What?”

“You know, if you fail constantly when you’re about to do something bad, maybe it’s because you’re not a bad person.”

He couldn’t mean that. She was still going to hunt down her target, and have them become the key for the return of the true ruler of this galaxy. Chaos willed it, and there was no chance in her mind she could ever be swayed by this truth.

“I… I will not stop.”

…

Franke smiled.

“Then I will stop you myself everytime you attack us.”

That sounded so… so cliche. So stupid! He could put an end to her attacks, turn her over to the authorities and- and…

“See you next time...”

Her eyes widened as she turned to notice that the human was already walking away. Her jaw hung low at the sight and… could only mutter a single word as her vision started to fail her.

“I-Ifera.”

She wasn’t sure if he heard, but part of her wanted to believe that strange head movement that could’ve been a mere blur was actually a nod.

_**Drained, confused, but ultimately defeated, the Narakhan Assassin fell asleep in that squalor, her dreams filled with odd scenarios that edged on pure blasphemy. Pure and tempting blasphemy at that...** _

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**AN**

**Lewds happened.**

_**When it’s my turn?** _

**...Maybe soon. It all depends on a specific Crest.**

_**Ambar?** _

**No. Someone that is born in lewds, shaped by it. A being that strives in it and attain true gratification from each session.**

_**...No.** _

**YES!**

  
  



	20. Omake 1: Trip in Love (1)

**Omake 1: Trip in Love (1)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

_**A smile replaced his worried line and he blinked away to stare away from her.** _

“Well, I thought this too but-” Shin pointed at where he was looking at and the girl shifted her sight in that general direction, noticing two figures approaching them swiftly. “It seems like this isn’t the case.”

Surprise filled her mind as she had really thought that they were the last ones for the ceremonial event and her shock grew a little more when said individuals got close enough to properly see the details of their appearance.

One was a Cat Prime that was giddily being the lead of the duo, dragging his own bags in his hands with ease while following closely behind was a human, also a male, quite winded by the paced speed they were both going at.

The human had short, curly dark-hair and a pair of light-blue eyes that just looked a little… mesmerizing.

He was wearing an open half-sleeved red jacket with a white shirt and a pair of dark-brown baggy pants.

“We did it!” The Cat exclaimed with a happy grin, looking like he had run through a lengthy marathon. “See! I was right about parking that far- Wait, where are you going?!”

While the one that spoke up managed to stop just before getting too close to the two waiting Primes, the human continued to run. Eyes closed, face growing red at the straining rush, it was clear he had failed to realize that they had arrived at their destination.

Hope would have pondered further on this, yet she soon had to handle another issue about this mistake. With the young man running towards her, the best way out was stepping to the side and allow him to stop when he was too tired. It should have been easy, and while she had ended up neglecting some of her training either because of singing practice or… being uninterested by training itself, the Gazelle Prime was experienced to move just a step away and try to avoid this awkward situation in the making.

Sadly for her plan, fate had decided to mess up with her decision.

Just as she prepared to go through with this, a rock decided to make its presence known to her as she started moving. Her footing quickly unbalanced as she forced herself to not fall because of the stone on the ground, Hope successfully managed to keep a stable posture.

_**Only for a certain human to go and crash onto her.** _

Panic exploded within her heart as she was pushed on the ground. Her worries of hurting herself urged her to flail her arms around in clear fright, but eventually her concerns vanished as quickly as it came to be. Instead, Hope felt her mind go blank and her green eyes open wide as they both landed on the ground.

A strong hand was carefully cushioning the back of her head, making sure that she didn’t get too hurt on that important bit of her body. The human’s eyes were as wide as hers, but for some reason his face just looked so close.

She felt fireworks, the gracious bells from a church and- _Oh no. Oh nonononono!_

And yet the reality of the situation struck her right on her face. It was the end of the world, the beginning of true chaos- the most unexpected surprise she could have gotten out of this first day away from home. Gone were her meticulous plans in getting together with Shin as the scene was surely going to put a damper to any effort from her part.

While she didn’t get hurt by the fall, she still ‘lost’ something to the panicking young man standing over her. Her lips traitorously ignored her inner contempt as they happily accepted him, and the young woman felt a shiver as the kiss remained unbroken for some time. It felt wrong **and yet so right** ; stupid **but still so damn right.**

Her mind went more awry the more she debated about it, and she felt her knees weaken at the suddenness of this move. She knew the human hadn’t intentionally meant it, but that didn’t exactly spare him from being this much good a kisser- no wait, this shouldn’t even be it. He wasn’t putting himself into it, and the smooch felt more of a chaste contact than else. No tongue, no steaminess, and no-

“Hehe, they sure became friends~,” A voice called out. Hope stared to the side, her sight still unfocused, but she still recognized the origin of that tease being the cat Prime… and the one nodding in mirthful agreement being Shin.

The realization returned with a vengeance, but before she could do anything about it, she was beaten to the kiss breaking procedure by the one that had unwittingly started it.

“I-I’m sorry.”

…

Speechless as she was, Hope really didn’t have a response to that. He sounded so honest, and she could tell he didn’t have enough foresight to get through with this if it was staged. No, this was a Class-A Trip ‘n’ Kiss situation, one that was as absurd as it was rare.

“I-It’s alright,” She said, sounding uncertain of it, “An accident- Y-yeah, this was an accident.”

The young man nodded, and she nodded back… only for him to nod again and for her to nod once more at him.

“Are you two done? You know, making new friends is nice but we have an initiation ceremony to be at,” The Cat Prime pointed out, drawing them both from their confused exchange.

“Y-Yes, I… I’m Frankie.”

He stood up, lending a hand so she could get off the ground properly.

“Hope,” She quietly introduced herself.

“Nice to meet you both. I’m Miles-”

“Shin,” The young blond interrupted.

“And we really need to get in before we get kicked out.”

That very sentence seemed to wake them both from their distracted self, with both Miles and Shin taking the charge to lead them in while Frankie was still ‘helping’ her by holding tightly on her hand with his. Part of her wanted to call him out on that but… his palm felt rather warm. And she needed to think quietly about what had just happened.

I-It wasn’t like she was actually liking it enough to ignore this- she only needed a moment to recollect her thoughts and elaborate a response to it all. What an odd beginning for her first day here at Prism University and…

_**The day wasn’t over just yet!** _

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**AN**

**What if fate had decided to go for the ‘strong shove’ instead of the soft push to try and get these two close?**

**Comment/Post/Review if you have any suggestions for other omakes. I will check if those are doable and once in a while I will drop two omakes at once with the proposed ideas.**


	21. Omake 2: Breaking a Sweat

**Omake 2: Breaking a Sweat**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

Vixy had a plan.

A plan that would exalt her strengths in the efforts of gaining the attention of the one guy she really wanted to date and have a more serious relationship with. Her hopes were high, her determination was solid, but she was slowly coming to regret having gone through with the preparations necessary to make the current situation to happen.

The idea had started from a discussion she had with Tiggs. Her close friend had brought up how Frankie had some knowledge in boxing, having practiced it for a while a couple of years ago. While this information may have deterred many girls that didn’t have an interest in sports, the Fox Prime saw this as a golden opportunity to strike a bond out of fighting.

The young man was absolutely happy to give it a shot and see how strong he would be against a tough opponent after so long, mentioning how recent events had pushed him to resume training. That detail had taken her by surprise, but it didn’t stop the Vixy from seeing where this route would take her.

Thinking back at what had started this situation, she couldn’t help but groan at how simplistic she had tried to make things. Sure, they were both experienced, with only a few differences regarding their respective styles and upbringings.

But where Vixy could flaunt her might thanks to the vicious training her mother had put her through, the human had his father to thank for giving him the push needed to train his unique style. While it was still deeply tied to the boxing rules right now, the young woman expected it to be developed into something greater by the time they started picking up with these sessions.

Wearing a half-sleeved tight gray shirt and a pair of short black pants, the girl almost lost her focus the moment Frankie, wearing a sleeveless blue shirt and a pair of dark-gray pants, entered the small ring they had taken for themselves. Jokingly (and not), she couldn’t but find his visible abs particularly distracting when it came to staring straight at him.

She doubted he was doing this on purpose, but it would be dishonest to not appreciate the scenery she was blessed with that lovely piece of- _Nope. Mind out of the guts, gal._

It should have been easy to win against him. All odds were stacked in her favor. And yet… the illusion broke.

Sure, it would be a lie to say that a Knight-level warrior should ever fear being beaten by a mediocre boxer. But the real problem here, the one that the girl had tried to ignore out of scorn towards the Fire Crest more than anything else, was that she was far weaker than she was a few months ago.

Homework, disinterest in keeping up a fighting schedule to hone her combat skills, and other things had kept her busy. Vixy knew that she had become rusty, but she didn’t know how bad it was until the sparring session began.

The early rush from the human should have been easy to predict and counter. She had faced much worse in the past... and yet she was caught by surprise when her feet almost failed to react in time and move out of his way. The sloppy movement wasn’t just limited at that first issue. Soon enough, the girl realized that her posture and stance were way too loose for those to allow her maximum reaction time.

There was no discipline, no remembrance of what had been the ferocious pacing that she had been accustomed too when she was a teen. Her mother didn’t spare herself when it came to that, especially if it was to ‘get her ready to handle the heat’. It was an ironic wordplay that had her dryly glare at the Fire Crest, only for the moral high ground to be smashed the very moment she was overwhelmed by the older Fox Prime. But that wasn’t important in the present. Since the present wasn’t as horrible as her mind was trying to make it appear.

Getting punched wasn’t a novelty to be happy about, but Vixy knew Frankie wasn’t going to shun her for being sloppy. In fact, she could tell that he was having trouble as well when it came to sudden retaliations on her part. She had punches and kicks to dispense, while he was limited to just his fists.

It was a frustrating handicap that pretty much offered her the chance to win this quite easily, yet… for some reason, she could tell this was far more difficult than just that. The young woman still struggled a lot despite the initial advantage, and she blamed her lack of preparation when it came to fighting. For a brief moment, she felt slightly blessed.

She imagined how horrible it could have been if she had disregarded training and… ended up facing some trouble. Maybe Tiggs would have been around for a reason or another when that unpleasant situation unfolded, and, while the girl was a tough nut to crack, the Tiger Prime wasn’t much of a professional fighter. Frustration piled up and grew to a point where it was difficult to get some proper coordination working.

Vixy tried to fight back, but much to her discomfort, she was too unfocused. And Frankie noticed that really quickly. Before she knew it, a clean towel landed on her head, covering her sight and ultimately bringing her out of her infuriating thoughts. Pulling the clean cloth aside, her eyes narrowed on the human.

“Let’s take a break,” The young man muttered curtly. He didn’t offer a greater explanation, leaving the reasoning behind that forced request up for her to think about. Did he do it because he knew she wasn’t up for the task?

“I-I can go for more.”

“I’m… kind of tired,” He rebuffed. “It’s been… an hour now. I don’t think I can go beyond that with how well you were doing.”

An hour? That was quite long for their first sparring session. Vixy was actually surprised that it had taken so long for the pause to be called. Still, that development offered her a quick one at him.

She smiled teasingly. “So, you admit defeat?”

“I mean, you are running on adrenaline right now, and I bet you will fall face first the moment you’re out of it,” He lamented. “But sure, if it strokes your ego nicely.”

“Of course it does,” Vixy mirthfully accepted. “I’m a strong woman with great ambitions.”

The sarcasm was easy to perceive and soon the two were chuckling at each other. Some friendly banter was just what she needed to clean up her thoughts from any ill memories about her time training under her mother.

There was some silence at first and… for a moment the Fox Prime thought she didn’t have anything to come back with. The young man was distracted as he reapplied some new bandages he had over his knuckles, keeping quiet during the process. Once he was done, the guy looked at her curiously and spoke up again.

“Do you… want to learn how to box?”

The offer might have come out of nowhere, but considering how much energy she felt the need to burn. Nodding, the girl followed the instructions offered, beginning to practice a version of shadowboxing that was different than the one she was accustomed to.

No kicks, no major actions other than throwing punches in a precise way. It all felt so mechanic, lifeless or… limiting. It was really incredible how that actually managed to work.

It was a single explanation from Frankie that got her interested even more in this different combat style. Where her fighting style worked around the need to keep herself moving and impose control over her opponent, the human’s mindset was less aggressive. There was still a ruthless inkling to it, but it was restrained only to the moment it was best to strike. Waiting and patience.

Both elements were considered important when it came to fighting a tough opponent, and… Vixy wasn’t good at both. Maybe it was because she got that from her mother, or maybe she just lost her capacity to handle these two by being around the Fire Crest.

The two circumstances still left her like this, in a training session that had her work her ass until she got a clear grasp over boxing. Frankie was moving beside her, copying or leading her into the proper handling of each exercise. It was a relieving activity that efficiently had her burn out her energies without her having to smack someone unconscious.

Vixy wasn’t unsure if this aftermath still counted as a brilliant success in terms of romantic commitment, but it sure was when it came to anything beyond that. In fact, she managed to steal a quick hug out of the tired human, feeling his muscles through the slightly wet shirt, covered in sweat, and getting a quick sniff out of the current scent. She was no animal, but there was still an interesting element when it came to catching that kind of detail out of sparring partners she wanted to be more than friends with.

Which is why, when she went back to the dorm, she spent a while contemplating if she should have delayed showering before going to sleep or try to wake up earlier the next morning to keep his smell on her clothes, only to be half-kicked in the bathroom by an annoyed Tiggs that didn’t want to have her stinking their room.

_**Truly a saddening, but amusing end to that effort.** _

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**AN**

**Comment/Post/Review if you have any suggestions for other omakes. I will check if those are doable and once in a while I will drop two Omakes at once.**

  
  



	22. Christmas Lemon: Three in One

**Christmas Lemon: Three in One**

When Vixy decided to host a little party before they all had to leave for their homes because of the Christmas Break, I saw nothing wrong taking part in it. Tiggs was really excited, and I was kind of bummed because Miles and Shin couldn’t come. The former because he was stuck with a fuckton of homework and the latter because there was going to be alcohol for the celebration.

Now, there was nothing wrong in a couple of beers shared before going back to our rooms to finish the preparations for our respective departures, and I was quite fine with the few activities that were planned for the occasion. Monopoly, twisters, the mime game- we were going for simple things since alcohol was involved, and we really didn’t want to make some accidents at the two girls’ dorm room.

It was all fun and play until things started to take a spicier turn when Vixy decided to go for a spicy dare. Until that point, we were just barely drunk and well capable of making smart thoughts without any issues, but the beer sure was starting to give us some of its renowned ‘liquid courage’. The Fox Prime, in fact, found an unexpected amount of bravery in coming up with a dare aimed at me.

“I dare you to… kiss me for two minutes.”

I was… surprised, but not extremely shocked since I knew she had been trying to get the chance of doing that for a while. All within the limits of our current relationship and… yeah, I was pretty much neutral to this. A simple kiss, nothing wrong with a quick one. The issue? I didn’t take into account that two minutes were really long for a simple smooching session. And in such a spicy moment, minds tended to get particularly taken by the intensity of those moments.

Her tongue tasted nice, and the steamy kiss had us heating up as we clashed for dominance. It wasn’t a novelty, but it was never a boring thing to be engaged in such a frantic and close kiss. It was only through Tiggs’ own intervention that we eventually broke off from each other. We were enjoying it way too much. Licking her lips, I could see the annoyance in Vixy’s face at being interrupted like that.

The game resumed, and, as I looked at Hope to see what kind of reaction she got out of this scene, I was perplexed when I saw her frowning harshly over the small bottle we were using to take turns for the Truth and Dare. The thing was spinning, eventually landing on… the Gazelle Prime.

“I dare Frankie for three minutes of kissing.”

What the-Mph?!

The smooching resumed, this time Hope bringing an unexpected twist to the escalation, further increasing the spiciness of the situation and drawing some snorts and sighs from the other two girls. Differently from Vixy, the dark-haired young woman was making her priority to almost show off how experienced and serious she was in that smooching. It was almost confusing how intense it was since, well, I knew she was into Shin. Or… maybe this was supposed to mean something big? Something about a genuine interest in me. Once again, Tiggs moved in to make sure Hope didn’t go overboard with this and I was left to ponder over what had just happened.

“Hug… for ten minutes.”

I could tell Traci was only trying to put an end to this, but the way she swiftly pulled me an embrace and abruptly pulled me to feel her melons onto my face didn’t really help me calm down the little escalation happening in my pants. My boner throbbed in minor pain as it pressed on the fabric of underwear and pants. It poked right at her groin, and I felt a warm wetness had formed and drenched the panties hiding her hungry pussy.

There was no doubt in our minds that this was growing way worse than expected and- It wasn’t going to work, we ultimately concluded, and we knew that only one thing was left in that growing chaos around us. I kissed her too, and she smooched back as we tried to make the best out of that really bizarre predicament. It wasn’t an unfamiliar gesture between us, but it was still enough to get me really into the need of giving her a good fucking. Sadly for us, we were stopped before we could go for that by two furious-looking girls. Both Hope and Vixy looked absolutely annoyed by what we were doing but… they weren’t exactly pulling us away from each other. Then it all became clear to me.

They weren’t angry that we were going this far… they were pissed because they weren’t part of the action. In a moment of shared lucidity through the heat, Tiggs and I shared a serious nod before diving for the two girls. Hope didn’t mind getting pulled close and held tightly, my right arm pulling her close, while my left one taking a squeeze at her cute butt. The girl tensed up, but she absolutely loved the attention she was suddenly getting.

Vixy was… surprised. Despite being irked that I wasn’t going for her, she had other things to think about as her best friend, the one she had shared so much with and had spent the most time with since she came to Prism Uni, stole her lips in a powerful kiss. Tongues playing again within their mouth, thinking against such an act proved impossible as she felt how excited her roommate was. With their chests pressing together, they could feel each other’s nipples hardening at the close contact, and the sensation drove them to seek even more pleasure out of this.

Hope huffed nervously as I started to remove her shirt and unbutton her bra, revealing her gorgeous breasts to the world before I started to tease those orbs as they were meant to. From the way she started to twitch, I knew I had found her most sensitive spot. I didn’t relent from making the best use of it, giving her incredible pleasure by groping and fondling all her body, leaving no space that was loved by my careful hands.

To counter this move of mine, the Gazelle Prime rushed to remove my shirt, holding me tightly as I continued to service her with that erotic massage, sending jolts of pure bliss through her poor confused brain. At the same time, Vixy finally managed to snap out from her shocked reaction and react to her current situation. Lust overrode her common sense as she pulled her current lover’s shirt up before starting to roughly play with Tiggs’ boobs, her mouth going down to suckle at her nipples and enjoy the closeness their warm bodies were currently in.

Hope’s eyes widened as she felt my cock rub onto her panties through my pants, the action further intensify the shivers driving her crazy with the need of sex. She rubbed back, unconsciously at first, but suddenly gained interest as she knew that this was the point of no return. It wasn’t even going to matter since we both knew we were fine and not going to incur in any awkward developments out of this very night.

The forbidden desire was now dominating her mind as she nodded at me, almost trying to answer my silent request for permission. I pulled down my pants, unleashing the length that had been so restlessly trying to gain freedom to enjoy its full erected state. Hope’s legs parted and she carefully pulled her skirts and panties down, almost looking away as I looked down at how wet she really was.

Embarrassment faltered as I gave a quick lick down at that impressive amount of sweet juice coating her lower entrance, enough to finalize my intention of going for that main dish. The fact I could hear Vixy and Tiggs moaning as they had taken the initiative and started scissoring on the nearby bed, I knew it was slowly turning in a competition and I… plunged my shaft deep in Hope.

The pounding was slow at first since I didn’t want to hurt her by going too fast all so suddenly. Her walls were sucking me in all the time I tried to pull out, making the entire situation even more exciting and blissful. But, despite my early concerns regarding the speed we were going, the young woman started to grind hard as she wanted to go fast really quickly.

I was surprised but… I complied to her clear request. Her hips moved to match mine as I picked up the good speed, her moans almost matching with the two other girls, but we were going much faster than their slow-paced but incredibly intense contact. With their groins rubbing closely and their eyes staring hungrily at each other, they were just spending that long time enjoying the moment rather than trying to bring it to an end.

Hope’s arms were tightly wrapping around my neck, pulling me down as I started to kiss her again as I plowed as hardly as possible. She was absolutely loving this and… I wasn’t going to stop until we were both satisfied by all of this. Feeling her shiver in pure pleasure at what I was doing, I felt this as an incentive to go as fast as I could and… we both came. Thing is that, since the girl was so taken by the entire thing, her orgasm was much more explosive than mine and her wetness completely wrapped my entire groin in that sweet juice of hers. After laying her down by the second bed in the room, I looked at how the others were faring.

They had changed positions, but I could tell that they had climaxed too, from how wet part of the bed now was. I carefully approached, at first fascinated by how gorgeous and intense their kissing was in that moment and… I ended up rubbing as I witnessed the exciting scene unfold. Much to my surprise, the girls seemed to pick on what was going on, and I was told to sit down by the bed as they would ‘help me with that painful swelling’.

Vixy just breathed over the length, with Traci lowering her lips by the balls before starting to lick from that section. Soon the Tiger Prime started to lap all over the length, her interest perked by the sweetness left from Hope’s pussy onto it. The younger girl followed her example the moment she broke through her hesitation of doing this with another girl. The temptation proved to be stronger than her reluctance, and her lips were dropping a couple of tentative kisses before she began licking from the base up to the tip. She paused around the head for a while, eventually splitting her current task between teasing the top and dropping some quick pecks on Tiggs whenever her face was close enough for her to reach out.

The dual blowjob had me left in a state of pure heat, and I allowed the two women to do what they wanted with it since they really seemed to know how to cooperate to draw a pleasant experience out of this one. Eventually the need to cum again came and I was stunned when Vixy swiftly pulled the head onto her mouth. The Fox Prime waited as her cheeks were slowly flaring to keep up with the modest load entering through her parted lips. She didn’t spit nor swallow the moment she was finally pulled away from the length, pulling her best friend close for another kiss and swapping the cum to her. Tiggs gulped everything, opening her mouth and pulling her tongue out to reveal she hadn’t left any of that in there.

But this was just… the beginning.

Traci decided to pull her lover on the bottom while she stood over her and… invited me to approach Vixy’s own pussy. I didn’t need any other hints on what they wanted as I was already moving into action. The girl moaned in Tiggs’ mouth as I continued to pound her in that position, the Tiger Prime driving her groin close to the action and slowly humping onto her current partner’s pelvis. It almost felt like… Traci was trying to see herself as the owner of that cock fucking so relentlessly her love interest, while at the same time trying to gain the same pleasure the girl below her was feeling. It was a really confusing thought, but one that had me aroused even more as I drilled deeper in the Fox Prime’s cunt. Half an hour later, I ended up delivering the second fat load of cum for today, this time painting Vixy’s inner walls with a white coating.

With the girl loosening and quietly taking a moment to rest, I had to handle just one last individual before I was done with this unplanned foursome. Traci smiled as she turned on her back, staring at me happily as she prepared herself to be plowed by me. Legs parting and giving me a clear sight over the final frontier for today. I jumped at the opportunity and fucked her senselessly. I had enough experience with her to know how to make her highly receptive of the pleasure of a normal sex session. My hands moved near where the action was unfolding, taking a firm hold of that lovely behind that had been for the most part spared by this session. Tiggs tensed up, but she eagerly accepted that action as she leaned closer for more. The pounding increased, and so did her moans as I numbed her mind with that fierce mating-like session. I was going really fast and she was moaning so sweetly.

Roughly forty minutes later, my balls churned again as I creamed her inside with my cock-milk. Her legs wrapped around my lower back, pushing me the deepest as she wanted to feel me come close to where her womb was. We held each other closely for a while and… we were almost close to falling asleep if not for the other occupants of the room having woken up from their brief pause.

“We aren’t done yet!” Hope exclaimed as she jumped in the bed. Vixy nodded from beside her, following her example shortly after. I tried to blame the alcohol but… it was a blatant lie. We all were having some really good fun together and we knew what was happening. And it was a really good thing.

It would take several hours and waking up in a bed with three satisfied ladies to ultimately realize that this was going to have some serious ramification over our relationship and even more than just that. I wanted to contemplate the horrible developments that could come out of this night of debauchery… but I found it really difficult with Hope waking up and deciding to make it clear that she knew what happened the night before and that she… was fine with it by slowly starting to work my morning wood.

She stared at me, two emeralds vibrantly telling me of a serious promise.

_**It’s fine. We have each other now.** _

**\-----------------d-d-d-d----------------d-d-d-**

**AN**

**Late Xmas gift~.**


	23. Brain and Brawn (4)

**Chapter 20: Brain and Brawn (4)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

“So, you really were ambushed by someone!” Tiggs exclaimed, making me flinch at the intensity of her voice.

Early in the morning, I hardly had enough sleep after what had happened last night, and we all had a lot to do today. Starting with the study groups, to making plans for the exams before Christmas break. So, when I had been cornered by this currently worried Tiger Prime about that fake call from Vixy, I had told her only half of what really happened.

“Kind of?”

“And- And you are alright,” She affirmed, getting another nod out of me. “S-Still, you aren’t injured or something, right?”

“I’m… doing fine. A little confused about some parts of that situation but...” I shrugged. “I’m quite sure there’s no other problems.”

“Still, are you sure you don’t need-”

“I’m fine, Tiggs. I appreciate the concern though,” I tensely interrupted. My uneasiness wasn’t from me being completely truthful to her. No, I was more worried about the state of mind I had left her in by not being more open about the matter. It wasn’t like I normally withheld information from others if things were so simple, but I really didn’t feel like a partly-busy hallway was the good place to inform her of the bizarre ‘assault’ I had been subjected to.

She hugged me closely, and I returned the embrace by closing it tightly. The little moment was soon put to an end as we had classes to be in, and I still had a couple things I needed to sort out before leaving for the current lessons. There was still something I needed to address, which would require me to speak with someone that surely knew more on the matter than I would want to let out to the public.

“You… what?”

I flinched at Shin’s outburst, we had taken refuge in an unused storage room I found near where I picked him from.

“Look, I know this may sound surreal-”

“That’s a way to say that,” The blond mentioned with a shocked tone. “I don’t know anything about interspecies relationships- but are you trying to tell me that I should be feeling terrified about what you just told me? That you were attacked by the same Narakhan that tried to hurt my sister and… you ended up in that bizarre situation?”

I sighed slowly. “It’s more of… trying to not make the situation any worse than it already is. I know it’s bad-”

“It’s a terrible situation, Frankie. I know you can be unconventional at times, but even for you, that still sounds preposterous.”

To be fair, I believe that explaining how I ended up in that lewd circumstance made me consider how absurd it actually was. It had felt so insane, so unpredictable and… somewhat even more worrying than a normal assassination attempt.

“Which is why I brought you here to ask you to help me with this circumstance. I don’t want to worry everyone, but I also want to understand what is going on here.”

“And… and you thought that I could help you… with what? What exactly are you asking from me?”

“I want to know the truth. About what is really going on,” I replied tensely. My words had the young man straightening his posture, shock turning into awkward surprise at the sudden shift of tones about the matter.

“I-I don’t understand.”

I narrowed my eyes at me. “Shin, I believe that you are trying to cover for something big, but right now, I have been targeted because of this, and I want to know what the heck is going on in here! These Narakhans, these assassins- they were out to capture Hikari, and from what I understand it’s something that now extends to both you and Hope as well.”

…

“You must promise me that you will not mention this to anyone that isn’t mentioned by what I’m about to say. I trust you to not betray me about this important matter-”

“I promise,” I confirmed fiercely, gaining a quick nod from the White Tiger Prime. He sighed, giving me a long look.

“My mother is the Light Crest. My father is the Courage Crest.”

…

…

“You… that would explain a couple of things.”

Like why Ms. Aryoko had been so against having her son, and heir- the only one that could inherit the Crest beyond Hikari, attend this school. Or why she seemed to have noticed my power so soon since… there was no way that the situation with her sword and the strange color of Wisdom weren’t tied to me somehow unlocking that kind of energy.

“Only a couple?” He inquired rhetorically, sighing as he resumed with his explanation. “But this isn’t the only thing you need to know. Hope’s mother is the Love Crest, while Vixy’s mother is the Fire Crest.”

I frowned at that second revelation. “I can see the resemblance between Vixy and Carmesi, I just thought it was a common look for many Fox Primes nowadays since there are a lot of fans of her mom.”

“Yeah, I believe… she mentioned something about this as well,” Shin admitted, but before he could have continued about this, I jumped in again.

“But still… I have a hard time imagining Hope as being the daughter of Love.”

This comment caused blond to frown at me confusingly.

“Really? Why is that?”

Opening my mouth, I almost brought up the real reason of where I found this very notion, the one where Hope, someone that had been constantly failing to gain Shin’s attention to herself in a romantic way, was actually the child of the Love Crest.

_ Which means that I met the Love Crest during that unplanned phone call I shared with the girl. _

That very novelty felt confusing to digest, yet I was slowly coming to realize that this hadn’t been the first time something so insane had happened to me. Starting from the fact I had the chance of meeting the High Prime herself through Naerie’s enrollment to this college.

“Tha- That's just... a joke, yes. A joke. She’s been helping me with some romantic issues so it’s quite… funny. I guess.”

He blinked, curiosity building up at that general response. “Romantic issues? You are… already interested in someone?”

“Vixy is a reliable girl,” I calmly replied. “I believe quite strongly that she is interested in me and I don’t see any issue in trying to see if a serious commitment can be worked out through this.”

“But… I don’t want to sound annoying, but wouldn’t it be odd if you dated without feeling certain you love the person you are dating?”

“Well, it all depends on the reason for dating someone. Sometimes you date an individual out of already-manifested love, but nowadays it’s common for new couples to test the grounds with dates before making things official,” I explained with a nod. “It’s a good way to tell if a relationship was worked out of it before creating one that could potentially crash and burn itself.”

“So it’s like… a way to lessen the gamble of finding the right person to be with?”

“Something like that, yes,” I admitted with a small smile. “Plus, if nothing comes out of this, we would still be close friends.”

Shin’s green eyes hinted at understanding as he seemed to accept my words as true. Yet, as soon as it was his turn to speak up again, he seemed to grow hesitant about what he could say in that very moment.

I noticed him quite unnerved for some reason, and I decided to investigate the matter.

“Is everything alright?”

He gave a slow nod. “Just… trying to digest the fact you aren’t making too much of a scene out of this.”

…

“A scene? Why?”

“I-I just told you who my parents are-”

“And I’ve met them myself. I must say your dad is quite laid-back, and your mother is… surprisingly nice if you look beyond her strict exterior.”

And while that is true, I have to ignore how unconsciously mysterious the woman could be when she wanted to. I could tell she wasn’t keeping things to herself due to any malicious reasons. It felt… like I was dealing with an old monk. Which fits with the fact the Light Crest was considered the leader of the Crests, the chief of the Primes back when the Great War was raging on.

Shin chuckled weakly at that. “S-Still- It’s not that I...”

He stopped, but not because of a thought interrupting him mid-response, but because I decided to bring him close and pull him in a calm embrace.

“Just because your mother and father are big shots, it doesn’t mean I consider you anything beyond Shin Aryoko, my friend and roommate,” I stated with a serious tone in my voice. “Sure, now I know that you can make use of Light-based powers, but that doesn’t change anything about the guy that is currently doubting my stubbornness when it comes to helping friends.”

…

“I know you are telling the truth, it’s just… that I don’t want to believe it. This feels too… easy.”

“Because I believe you and I have no issues on this development” I replied with a huff. “And don’t let me catch you ever doubting this. I will show you through my actions that I don’t really see much of a difference between what was said before and after what you told me just now.”

Shin sighed. “Thank you.”

I patted his head, gaining a brief unconscious purr out of him.

“You’re welcome, bro.”

There was a pleasant silence that ensued after I said that, with Shin slowly returning the hug as we stood like this for a little while. Just enough for me to think up something I now feel compelled to ask as it would fit with a bizarre situation our mutual roommate had been lamenting about since the very first day we found ourselves in that dorm room.

“By the way, quick question: are you using some of your powers as the son of the Light Crest to get done quickly when you are getting ready in the bathroom in the morning?”

Shin spared me a frown as I allowed him away from my hold. He gave a slow nod and I grinned.

“Keep doing that,” I muttered confidently. “Seeing and hearing Miles losing his marbles over the logistics behind your process is something really amusing early in the morning.”

The young man snorted, showing a small grin at the lighthearted topic I had directed to change the conversation to a simpler and less tense mood than the one we previously added. Still, we ended up interrupting the discussion and promised each other to continue this once we were done with the classes today.

_** Right now, I needed to be left alone to ponder. Because I now knew why Ifera was out to try kidnapping me so suddenly, and I needed to think up a way to handle this matter. ** _

\------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------

Hope could only sigh in annoyance as she knew that she had set herself up for quite the unfortunate situation.

Just as predicted a few weeks earlier, her parents were starting to press her on some details before they visited for the Parent’s Day. The young woman knew that they were interested in a couple of topics regarding her social situation at school. Having never had trouble with subjects in High School, their real concerns were mostly aimed at her conduct at the school and her cast of friends here at Prism Uni.

While most of the matter was easy to handle as she had long learned how to make sure no misunderstandings would come out of this situation, there was still a small issue Hope hadn’t taken into account ever since she had last spoken with her mother. Her father had… learned about Frankie, and, even though his wife stressed enough the fact that he wasn’t someone that was in a relationship with his daughter, the man still believed that he was someone to ‘keep his eyes on for a couple of years’.

This behavior was… unusual. Kind of concerning too if she had to be honest. Her father used to be really laidback when it came to boys that had tried to invite her out for a date, but now, he really seemed to fit the ‘over-protective father’ phase that many of her friends’ fathers had gone through when a boy was somehow involved.

It felt odd that the man was concerned about someone that she wasn’t planning on dating and, at the same time, the very individual hadn’t taken any steps into doing something like that yet. Frankie was just her friend- a close friend now since she was relying so much on him. She… wasn’t exactly calling him a brother or something since… The phrasing just felt wrong on many levels.

Nonetheless, the real issue is that she had no idea how she was supposed to exploit the day to further improve her chances with Shin. Their parents already knew each other quite well, so trying to ‘impress them’ by having them meet wasn’t going to work for her. No, she had to be more careful and attentive- no, what she needed to do to be not only bold, but meticulous.

…

_ Gah, why is this such a mess?! _

Hope had spent so much time with the chase, but this was the first time ever she felt a genuine strain in trying to win over her love interest. Shin was making steps in seeing her more than just a friend, yet she knew any mistakes made now that he was opening up to her in such a way would only have her arrive at the horrible station that is the ‘eternal friendzone’.

One can leave the friendzone through determination and perseverance, but the eternal friendzone wasn’t something she knew she could ever beat if she was ever stuck within it. So the girl had to play a serious game now that the stakes were so high and… maybe she could play with the recent changes.

Maybe Frankie could help her set up an activity with Shin, something that could show both couples that Hope was now more than just a friend towards the blond. Maybe she could find an activity where they could manifest their bond and their compatibility.

Yes, that sounded ideal and yet… incredibly difficult to pull off at the same time. First she would need to find the best way to draw both herself and Shin into a situation where they could at least ‘appear’ as a couple, and then she would need to pull this off without him catching onto what was going on. Frankie might be helpful, but the human wasn’t a miracle-maker. She wasn’t going to push him away just because she was getting nervous and brazen with her attempts.

She just… didn’t want to lose him. For some reason, the thought of parting from him now felt dreadfully unpleasant, even more than any friend she had the chance of meeting in her little time there at Prism Uni.

Something about his… personality just pulled her closer to him. Maybe it was that they both were sharing a similar plight and… they could rely on each other about this many secrets. Maybe she felt happy that he seemed to pick up any issues in her plans and provide her with good suggestions or…

…

_ Why is my heart so stupid? _

Once again, the young woman huffed, settled on her bed as she procrastinated over these difficult topics. It was starting to get boring on how this was how she would spend the afternoons if she wasn’t busy with the Singing Club or Study Groups. It made her really annoyed at the problem that she couldn’t get to speak with the human more frequently without feeling somewhat distracted by him. The smile, his genuine kindness- _his abs._ Even with the fact he was only helping her with Shin, Hope just couldn’t get him out of her head.

Stubborn, nice, strong and… and yet, sometimes fragile. Hope saw him in one of the weakest states he could have been found in, and that manifested a Frankie she could relate to in some circumstances. She remembered when he unconsciously scooped her close, when he held her so tightly and so tenderly…

The few tales her mother had told her about when her father used to hold her life-long lover in that same way just didn’t seem to help the girl in suppressing the absurd thoughts she was having about her associate for love matters. She could imagine Frankie doing that with Vixy, and the sight, albeit adorable, made her slightly annoyed. At herself. Obviously for thinking of this and feeling jealous on the matter.

Hope had persisted for years. And yet now she was having doubts as something strong was clearly growing within her about her bond with the human. Something that easily went beyond pure and simple and easy-to-manage friendship.

_ There- there was no way he would consider me other than as a friend. He doesn’t really care for me beyond being close friends. _

Huffing on her pillow, Hope would waste a full afternoon on this matter, failing to genuinely address what she was supposed to do for the approaching Parents’ day. She would shut her eyes, slightly praying for a quick rest to bring her wisdom on the matter.

_** But the presence of that smile, owned only by that human that had wormed into her heart, just made thinking straight really difficult... ** _

\------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------

“ ** I hope you understand we can’t go on with this forever, Sem. We are in the same city, I would expect you to at least visit if it’s something really important ** .”

Sem glared at the hologram with contempt. Sitting alone by the chair in his office, the teacher tried his best to not facepalm at the kind of action he needed to take to prevent anything bad from actually happening after yesterday’s events. In front of him, there was the Wisdom Crest’s form recreated through his phone’s holographic system, while beside it sat taller stacks of unfinished paper.

The Death Crest could only sigh at the irked tone coming from Ambar. After decades of this situation being repeated and drilled into his head, he knew that trying to oppose that line of thought directly would only be seen as a challenge for the Bear Prime to handle in the most extreme way possible. One thing Sem had learned from living in Prism, right where the Wisdom Crest was revered as the head of state of the government in the continent, was that the woman was… stubborn. Painfully so at times when the situation demanded it.

But right now, the man really didn’t need to be put in any awkward situations with her. He just needed to be granted that simple request, and then he would leave her to her own duties. Especially with how troublesome paperwork was getting in this part of the year with the approaching exams just before the first pause of the lessons.

Christmas was a celebration he appreciated, most of the time alone. Not because he didn’t like being with friends, but it would be a lie to not say that the situation back at home was… more complicated than he would like it to be. Especially with his daughter now trying to reconnect with him after what happened a few years ago, and he was confused by the fact Feather was almost demanding for him to give her a chance after what happened that very day. The unpleasant situation was still painfully annoying him even now as he thought about it, and he hardly snapped at anything that easily.

“I just want your permission for this simple thing, Ambar.”

“ _** Lady  ** _ ** Ambar. If you want to go for the formal act, at least stick to it, ** ”  The redhead answered calmly, sighing as she gave him a serious look. “ ** There are rules, Sem. ** ”

“Kind of hypocritical for you to say that rules of this caliber matter- even after you have seen yourself that the young man wouldn’t fare well in any training you can provide him.”

“ ** I happily return the hit back to you, good friend, by reminding how much of a stickler to those ‘pesky rules’ you usually are, ** ”  She retorted flatly, still keeping a giddy tone. “ ** But seriously, I thought you said you didn’t plan to take him as a legitimate Clan student. Something about not trying to bring the past into the present. ** ”

“Things have changed, and not in a good way. He was attacked by that Narakhan again,” Sem remarked tensely, gaining a surprised look from the High Prime. The woman had felt so confident now that several Knights had been dispatched to find out where this mysterious assassin was hiding within Prism. Yet none of them had found anything that could help find out where she was. “Right now, it’s clear that they have made him a target and, after two solid defeats, it’s only fair to be concerned about possible increases in efforts. The young man needs to be trained to hold his own.”

The man also knew he was the best bet to get him to shape, and ready to handle any threat in less than a month of training. It might have been a while since he gave someone Knight-related training, but he knew he was going to work on someone that had a good grasp over physical training and self-respect about this kind of topic.

“ ** Oh, so you want me to just… accept the fact you want to take him only for yourself. As an apprentice, that is. ** ”

“Indeed. He needs to be trained to fight, and that means-”

“ ** He should be taken in by the Clan that best fits with his current powers. In this case, mine. ** ”

Crests had ownership when it came with individuals with the potential to use the powers tied to their respective clans. It was an old role that he could remember agreeing to, all for the sake of avoiding people bailing from some of the clans to join ‘cooler’ ones.

…

“ ** I want to make an exchange if you are so eager to get your hands on him. I’m not exactly eager to let go of the opportunity to control those fresh abs. I had so much cheese that needed to be used on that lovely pack- ** ”

“State your price then,” The teacher pushed with some insistence. “I’m not in the mood to listen to your antics right now.”

“ ** Aw, paperwork is getting on your brain? ** ”

“Your price.”

…

“ ** I want you to bring him to me. If he has to be trained, I wish to gauge his current skills personally. Consider it a serious investment of my time to genuinely give you some insight about his potential, ** ”  The woman began listing up, gaining a nod out of the Lion Prime.

“I can see the good in that. I don’t have any complaints about it.”

“ ** I’m glad you are happy with that, but I believe the next bit might be ill-received due to the circumstances, ** ”  Ambar replied with an uneasy tone. “ ** I… Feather has been calling me through private methods, sounding fairly insistent about the fact she wants your child to join Prism Uni. ** ”

“None of that. You know that now it would be a terrible idea. Not with Assassins lurking around in the city, and with the Knight Corps failing to locate where that fool is hiding.”

“ ** She was trained by you- ** ”

“And she misused her abilities for the wrong causes,” Sem interrupted fiercely. “If you do this, regardless of the choice I take over this bargain, because I can tell this is no longer a condition for a negotiation, I will be forced to abandon this school.”

“ ** And prove to the world that you have grown to become a complete idiot about family matters, ** ”  The High Prime retorted. “ ** She is your blood. At least have the decency of giving her the benefit of the doubt. ** ”

“...Fine. But you will surrender any training rights to Frankie Parker. I will not bargain any further over this charade to… to force me into this.”

Ambar sighed, looking incredibly annoyed through the hologram. “ ** As far as I’m concerned, you have decided to set yourself up for this. You could have handled this better, and yet, here you are, a respectful teacher whining like a child only because you don’t feel up and ready to take the ugly aspects of being a father to a young adult. ** ”

…

“ ** But I will let her join the school year only after December. I will grant you this since you need the time and the attention to start Mr. Parker in his training. ** ”

“I… thank you.”

“ ** You’re welcome… by the way, there is no way for me to sneak a ‘send a daily pic of his abs’ clause on our little agreement? ** ”

Sem closed the call there, knowing that right now he needed some time to think, plan and… make mental preparations for when the Christmas Holiday was over. The last thing he needed is to be caught unprepared when his daughter would come to study here. She was of age and she would enjoy this environment, but… he doubted that it was going to be enough to mend the issues she had created when she was a little younger.

_** Only time was going to say if this was the best decision… or maybe his last mistake as a father. ** _

\----------d-d-d-d----------------d-d-d-d--------

**AN**

_**Absolutely loved the way you handled Ifera dearest. Perhaps you could send her to me- to vet her, and nothing else~.** _

**I believe not.**

_**Aw, but why?** _

**Because Ifera is my precious baby girl!**

_**...I’m calling her right now, I will convince her that she can easily capture me and then I will make things funny from there on.** _

**Don’t!**

_**Or what?** _

**Or… Or I tell Naerie.**

_**Jokes on you! My daughter is currently on a date with Shin!** _

**Uh… How about I bribe you?**

_**Two lengthy cuddle sessions, calling me ‘Mommy’ for two hours, and giving me a big hug right now.** _

**...Really?**

_**I’m deadly serious. Come here~!** _

**GAH!**

  
  



	24. Lively Friendship (1)

**Chapter 21: Lively Friendship (1)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

There’s less than a week before Parents’ Visit Day happens. I was unsure whether things would end well, but now I was feeling more uneasy as this event slowly approached.

While I didn’t have to worry about father or mother visiting- ignoring the matter that mom would probably take the opportunity to scout the area, find potential daughters-in-law and then push me to ‘show them how nice and upstanding I am’. This wouldn’t be the first time it happened, and I figured this wouldn’t be the last time for me to suffer in such a manner.

Exams had finally come and gone, with everyone doing relatively well with all their grades. Miles was incredibly giddy when he glanced at the overall positive document he had received about his performance. 

Hope lamented due to her lesser grade in History, saying that she would seriously work on it to gain a positive reaction from Shin. While I knew that Shin was good at History, I doubted the girl was even remotely paying attention to him in that stuff. I decided to step up and offer her some help if I didn’t want her to screw her grades just to spend more time with the blond.

The rest of the group was doing well, yet I still held my own doubts that Davin had really studied at all. Despite his presence in all study sessions, he barely paid any attention, and the best interventions he could offer were making off-topic remarks. While I believe I hadn’t reacted too harshly about it, I felt quite sure he noticed most of the time that those comments only distracted others during the occasions.

He didn’t seem to react badly, but he wasn’t even that happy that he couldn’t just ‘have some fun with the babes and his bros’. He only quieted down when I reminded him that he literally had after the sessions to do that.

Despite the fact we still remembered fondly those moments in our childhood when we first met, I doubted that those were enough to have me ignore that laid back personality of his and how frustrating it tended to get when I was trying my best in helping others pass their tests.

I felt relieved that I was allowed out of my duty once the exams were over, so I could avoid escalating this issue to a more unpleasant area. I didn’t have any reasons to doubt Davin’s good intents that had to be deep below his ‘tough womanizer’ mask, but the further I looked at his case, the more I felt like he was going to suffer if he didn’t do something to change his current situation instead of abandoning himself to his hopes of having an eternal life of college, fun, and no responsibility beyond Prism Uni.

Even Tobias seemed irked by this at times, but the Lion Prime was less keen to show that to others. Angel didn’t seem to mind at all, which matched well with her no-seriousness kind of lifestyle she was going for. Finally, Tiare was the one that seemed to actually show some concerns about it, just not in a way that many could notice.

I just had a conversation with her, and the young woman had mentioned that it was a problem she was already working on. Despite her usually cool state of mind, I couldn’t help but find some interesting hints of emotions leaking out due to this very topic. I don’t know how someone like her ended up being befriended by Davin, but I wasn’t ignorant enough to just stupidly ask.

Tiggs was beaming as she had recovered a couple of grades, the same for Vixy. Both girls had been having a few uneasy thoughts about this kind of a comeback, mostly because they couldn’t dedicate the usual amount of time and attention other students could in the study groups because of their duties by the cheerleaders club.

Finally, things were doing incredibly well at work, and I felt quite relieved that we had little issues in handling the pace unfolding in the kitchen during the shifts. Waitress were quick to deliver their orders and take the plates meant to be served to the clients they were assigned to, Tiggs and I didn’t lose a single aspect of our cooperative nature despite the upsetting thoughts of failing on the job, and then the boss was kind enough to mention that we were going to receive the minimum wage mentioned by the contract we signed before starting to get the full checks after a month of working had gone by.

It was a little prerequisite as she wanted to be completely certain we weren’t going to have any stupid thought of expecting this to be an easy job to keep. All mistakes, just all successes, counted and everyone needed to be incredibly careful in how bad those mistakes were in the overall situation.

After a few days of working at the Shark Bites, there was no complaint or any issues in preparing the food. The only worry being tied to the shortage of a couple rare materials in the storage area, but that was quickly fixed by having those bought and removing one or two dishes based on those ingredients off the menu for the time being.

Life was going brilliant as far as I could tell, and, since I didn’t end up facing Ifera in any circumstances since our last encounter, I felt quite sure my only concern at the time was the Parents’ visit day. And yet, my expectations had been dashed to oblivion when I was asked by Professor Aken to remain in the classroom after the lesson was over. It didn’t happen in the middle of it, rather the Lion Prime spoke up to me before I could even think of leaving.

I complied, confusion adorning my face as I ended up facing the professor alone for no reason that I could think about. I had followed the lessons just fine, I didn’t do anything disruptive, and I had aced the exams for his subject. All in all, I was in the best position with him in terms of college-related stuff. But I would soon learn that the predicament that landed me in this situation was actually tied to Ifera herself.

“The High Prime- I don’t understand why she would want to speak with me.”

“She’s been quite insistent,” The teacher elaborated. “Ever since you developed an affinity for Wisdom and obtained the capacity to make use of Magic, it has been within her curiosity to see how intense your control is.”

“But how does this… work? You mentioned… training?” I pressed on, feeling like I had missed something about this situation. Sure, it was clear that the High Prime, in this case taking on the role of the Wisdom Crest, wanted to make sure I didn’t become overly dangerous if an emotional moment came up and stressed me out enough to make use of this element in my inexperienced hands. None of this helped me understand why I felt that this training wasn’t just implemented to give me an acceptable control over my unlocked power.

“You will be tested. It shouldn’t be a particularly difficult or harmful exam of sorts to take- consider that it is a way to gauge your potential and determine the best action to take in providing you the training you need.”

“Any hints for what kind of training I should expect?”

The Lion Prime shrugged, offering me a calm look. “Enough to have you handling your own against a couple of Assassins.”

…Eh?

“Professor, I don’t wish to misunderstood this situation- but I believe there are knights-”

“That don’t have a crystal ball to predict when and where you might be attacked next,” Professor Aken interrupted flatly. “Mr. Parker, your concern is expected and I will not tell you to sell it to you as a wrong reaction. You have been present in two close attempts and the last thing I will allow is for a student of mine to be subjected to this kind of danger without some preparation. Knights are strong and are prepared to face threats of this kind, but they aren’t omnipresent, and they will fail if they aren’t sure how to track down an elusive individual like the one you faced twice now.”

I could say that Ifera hadn’t seemed to be that difficult to spot in a crowd considering her choices in clothes and her appearance. 

“So after the test, I suppose I will get a tutor from the Wisdom Clan or-”

“I believe the High Prime can hardly invest in anyone capable of her Clan,” The teacher interrupted again. “Not because of anything related to you. But since her clan serves as a way to unite other clans, most of her Knights, those that would have a better are already spread thin enough in handling their current duties.”

I nodded, understanding that notion. I could remember reading something on that very note, but hadn’t lingered long enough to keep it in mind for this very situation. To be fair, I wasn’t expecting for things to pick up so quickly, and I had imagined for more knights to be employed instead of having me trained for an eventual third encounter. At this point, knowing how my luck had gone last time, I figured that I couldn’t expect to be spared from any further developments in similar predicaments.

“When am I supposed to visit the High Prime’s manor?”

The teacher hummed, standing up from his chair and offering a small smile. “Now.”

…

“Sir-”

“I’ve already alerted Madame Jacqueline of the situation. You are allowed to leave the premises for the duration of this visit,” Professor Aken continued, ignoring my effort to inquire some more on the topic. “I will personally take you to the place and see that you are brought to Lady Ambar safe and sound.”

“But… why?I don’t think you ever said how you are so close to Lady Ambar. Are you one of her knights?”

That would explain a lot of unanswered questions, but even then I knew that the man wasn’t a proper knight… if he was one to begin with.

“That assumption is mostly incorrect,” The Lion Prime remarked. “But not completely false. You just missed a couple of elements along the way, but I believe you will better understand once we are there.”

I was tempted to ask for more, but I had a strong belief that he wouldn’t tell me much more beyond that. This was frustrating, the idea that a teacher of mine was actually much more than what I had initially thought him to be. Ever since I saw the man tell off Ifera through the use of words, I had tried studying what kind of individual the professor was. A knight was the best description I could ascribe to him with reason, yet it was the most convenient option among the others. Now I knew that this assumption was mistaken.

_**Still, we left the college’s perimeter and started to make our way by foot to reach where the High Prime lived. Despite all the assurances I was getting, I couldn’t help but feel that something big would happen… and it wasn’t going to be a good one judging from a gut feeling .** _

\-------------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d------------

Sem held back a sigh as he glanced at the gates of the manor with some annoyance.

It’s been a decade since he had visited the place, and he hadn’t expected for the building to remain the same as he remembered it being. Maybe it was an expectation he had built on Ambar since he knew how the woman loved to keep with the times and, most of the time, reinvent herself with a new look, a new style, and new dresses.

The guards at the entrance made no fuss as he displayed a card the High Prime had given him centuries ago, the small document giving them an easy way to enter the manor quickly without being stopped by anyone trying to obstruct his visit. He wasn’t looking forward to it, no matter what his cynical and ‘logical’ take said on the matter. He still visited during the Gathering, albeit dull on most part,

The young man he currently led around didn’t seem to understand what was going on, but seemed receptive enough to pick up that something big would be unraveled soon enough. He realized that he should have told him something instead of allowing for the suspense to build.

Glancing back, he could see the human looking around with a curious expression plastered on his face. Not unusual or unexpected, but Sem was mostly relieved that his current ward wasn’t asking any questions during the entire trip. While he would have endured any efforts to gain any possible clues to what his real identity was just fine, the Death Crest wasn’t making any plans to be annoyed during the journey itself. He had Ambar to take care about, and he really didn’t need his mental endurance to be depleted when facing this Bear Prime.

Just as they reached the doors to the office, Sem decided to play things safely and stop there as he laid out the ‘plan of attack’.

“First, I will enter inside alone,” The teacher muttered, gaining an extra frown from the student. “I will personally make sure that the High Prime is ready to receive you. She tends to be found in… rather unflattering dispositions at times.”

“I… I understand.”

He didn’t, but he was too polite to be honest right now. Frankie was completely immersed in the scenery they were now. For a first-time visitor, the young man was holding himself well enough. Taking a swift breath and steeling his posture, Sem entered inside the room with a determined mood.

“...You look absolutely old,” The High Prime greeted from behind two tall towers of paperwork. They were relatively distant from each other, but the distance was quickly reduced as the Lion Prime approached with a calm but slow pace. “Seriously, you look like you’ve lost decades.”

“And you look fairly busy, Ambar,” The fellow crest remarked as he finally reached for the closest seat, sitting right in front of the Wisdom Crest and her current work. “I suppose you picked this particular hour to give yourself a reason to skip out on your responsibilities.”

“Of course,” The redhead admitted without shame. “I might not have any major problems with my duty in facing any issues in the continent and the foreign cases now that Naerie isn’t around, but I’m not going to say ‘no’ to a chance to get my mind elsewhere.”

He would have shaken his head at her infantile plan, but Sem knew way too well how painful paperwork could be just as a simple professor, so he could definitely imagine how frustrating it had to be to deal with a higher tower of paper and ink than what he was usually forced to face due of his current job.

“I suppose everyone has their ways to create their breaks,” He allowed, getting a happy nod from Ambar herself.

“Yep. But now I have to ask: is the cute bo- I mean, the cute boy waiting outside?”

He sighed, shaking his head at the redhead’s usual mood shining at this precise hour of the day.

“He is waiting on the other side,” Sem replied with a nod. “I wished to speak with you before you test him. About calling Feather.”

“Oh, now you want to chat about it with me? And I thought that you weren’t open to discuss it beyond our deals.”

“I’ve had time to think and… I wish to ask for a small request if you haven’t called her yet.”

“Depends on what you wish to ask,” The Bear Prime replied, staring quietly at her fellow Crest as to try and understand what kind of plans the man had on the matter.

“I… I want to be the one to contact her. I know you would prefer to be the one calling numbers, but I wish to try and… see how things are right now.”

“I guess I can spare you this much.” The woman conceded with a quick nod. “But I believe you wish to discuss something else. Am I right?”

…

“Yes,” Sem replied with some reluctance. “I know that you are trying to bring my family back together, but shoving my daughter into Prism Uni when we are dealing with quite the situation is just-”

“Isn’t keeping her safe from any possible assassination attempts from any possible Narakhan’s group joining up the fight,” Ambar interrupted with a huff. “But she’ll be fine. She’s been trained by the best, after all.”

“Before she used It to do heinous things,” The Death Crest reminded. “There are some things that just can’t go away.”

“Maybe. Or maybe you are being too harsh on her. She was barely sixteen when that happened.”

“I… I just couldn’t ignore it. I tried to make things work even when… when she started to join that group of- of bastards and...”

“And then she got burned in the process, imparting a valuable lesson for her to live by ever since that problem was solved.”

…

“You are still going to deal with her, whenever you like it or not. Being a father isn’t a role you can manage at your complete leisure. You have duties and rules to follow, even when it means harming yourself in the process,” Ambar explained with a neutral tone. “I understand you are angry, and even quite irritated that I’m taking such an active role on the matter only now… but I have been asked by Feather to do something about it. Your daughter needs her father back.”

…

“Hmm, perhaps we should bring him inside?” The Bear Prime suggested quietly, knowing that pressing even further was going to harm them both in the long run. “Wouldn’t want to miss the best part of your visit after all~.”

It was still impressive how someone like the Bear Prime managed to keep being so fascinated in newer generations. At least, in a more ‘active and intimate’ way than any. He nodded, feeling like it was time to get things done at once. He turned around and he walked up to the door to try and retrieve the young man he had brought for this very predicament. Yet there was no one around and the spot where the human was previously standing was now empty, making it so that it was only Sem around in the area to see this.

But why and… where did the young man go?

He looked around, trying to see anything that could help him understand what could have gotten the student to leave the area just like this. Then, he noticed it. Something, a magical leftover. There was a sense of familiarity coming out of it. As if he had already felt it before- experienced it. He could feel the liveliness of such a magical trace, and…!

The Lion Prime’s eyes widened slowly as he began realizing what was going on and why Frankie was no longer waiting as he had moments before Sem had entered the room. Without hesitation, the Crest rushed back into the office, half-tempted to glare at Ambar.

“Ambar, did you- you have to. There is no other possibility other… than that,” The teacher said before narrowing his eyes at the confused woman.

“What? I may have done a few things that nobody is proud of- what did I do this time?”

“Geecku, did you set her free when I was visiting?”

… “Oh, so that’s what I forgot about-”

“ _Ambar!_ ”

The Wisdom Crest could only huff pointing at the paperwork. “If you hadn’t noticed, I have had a lot to think about.”

“Geecku is a big priority!” Sem reminded her with a serious tone. “If she is free right now, then she is already trying and seducing everyone on her path.”

“Which isn’t really a bad idea-”

“And she will definitely pick up on the fact that Frankie is a human with Wisdom-related powers. And make things even more interesting for her to play with.”

That actually seemed to be enough to finally gain a concerned look from the Bear Prime.

“I’ll track him down,” She offered tensely. “I will use the audio system in the camera to give you directions.”

_**Sem nodded her way and didn’t linger any longer. He had a student to save at once from his natural enemy.** _

\----------d-d-d-d----------d-d-d-d---------

I couldn’t exactly remember the precise point when I began running around the manor.

My attention wasn’t focussed at that bit of the past considering that I was still being chased by someone that had tried to capture me. With the speed the attacker used, I could hardly notice much about them beyond the fact that they were a reptile Prime of some kind. Green skin/scales, a couple of cold colors like violet and blue spread in specific spots, and an interesting lack of clothes.

I didn’t get any further glances when it suddenly rushed to pick me up and bolt away. Caught off-guard by the suddenness of the entire scene, I managed to keep a cool head long enough to be keenly aware of which direction my stalker was coming from. It had happened so instantly and with little explanation- one moment I was patiently waiting for an input to walk inside the office, the next moment I was struggling against a steel-like hold that had me stuck firmly onto the frame of my possible kidnapper.

The ‘ride’ was unpleasant and I almost thought I had no chance of breaking free. Surprisingly enough, I managed to push myself just enough to get my head out of that hold and free me from that kind of limitation. The moment I was free, I didn’t waste time bolting in the opposite direction where the figure had tried to take me to. Feeling my heart in my throat, the panic making my head burn into existence a simple yet strong plan. _**Run and Hide.** _

Once I was far enough from my pursuer, I decided to quickly take refuge in the nearest hiding spot I could find. A small locket conveniently open together with a couple of others. I went for the empty one, feeling cramped, but nonetheless interested in not getting caught by my chaser. I started to hide from her, hoping that she was eventually lose interest in me. Time passed, but then I was finally given a proper look of the individual that was still hunting me down.

Walking on all fours, my attacker had dark-blue hair, semi-glowing yellow eyes and a big grin that was aimed at the world around her as she happily gave me chase. Her frame was curvy, yet built in a natural and pleasant way. I wasn’t sure why and how an individual like her managed to gain the interest from Ambar and be allowed to live here.

Also, It was clear that she was faster than me, yet I was surprised when she just persisted on running around on all four despite the specific disadvantage she held. It was somewhat frustrating since I was unable to shrug her off early on, and I had to strain my legs just to get to the hideout I was currently holed in.

There was silence, and the creature hadn’t even bothered looking in my direction as she passed by my locker. I kept quiet for a little more, just enough to feel convinced that I was free of finally checking around and starting making my way back to where Ambar’s office was. I was confused as to why I didn’t notice any servants- actually, I would have imagined to find some Nanozell Spirits in the area to keep some simple patrol of the halls. Still, I had to move and I couldn’t just stay and expect to be spared But, as I started to make my way through that route, I ended up forcefully pinned on the ground as someone tackled me from above.

“GOTCHA!” A loud feminine voice exclaimed. My kidnapper, the one that I had thought I had been spared from, had just finished jumping on me from the ceiling of the hallway where she had been waiting in preparation to strike. I don’t know when that happened, but the problem was easily ignored as I had a more troublesome one keeping me pinned down.

A giggle, she leaned down and gave me a smug smile.

“Geecku wins, little wise boy,” The reptile Prime muttered. “Now rewards!”

“W-What?”

“Rewards. Geecku wants rewards.”

Rewards? What is she talking about?

Just as I thought about this, I felt her hands sneaking upward and trying to grasp at my collar.

“Reward!”

_And I need an adult. More than one from the looks of it._

“Uh… How about something a little less weird… pretty lady?”

“Something… weirdy?”

“How about a game?” I offered with a nervous tone. “You know… like friends?”

…

“Friend?” She repeated, leaning even further and pressing her nose onto mine. “You wanna be Geecku’s friend?”

_Do I even have a choice on this?_

“Y-yes.”

…The blue-haired woman grinned, that look getting a couple of shivers down my spine. Before I knew it, she had me pulled off the ground and taken around the manor in a hasty manner, excited and interested by this unique circumstance. It took us a little while to finally arrive at our destination. We eventually ended up in what looked to be a massive inner courtyard that sprawled within the core of the manor. Soon after, I was ‘invited’ to join a friendly game of tag with the now more tame feral-behaving Prime.

I was completely intrigued by what kind of silly games I would be playing with Geecku, that I barely saw a familiar figure from apart. Professor Aken… looked immensely annoyed from afar as he merely watched over us as the game eventually ended and we had finally arrived back before the office’s door.

_**Still, I felt a need/must to actually ask. What is going on here? Who is Geecku and... why do I have a feeling that I just dodged a fine bullet just now?** _

\---------d-d-d-d------------

**AN**

**Geecku is cute~! Geecku is love~!**

  
  



	25. Lively Friendship (2)

**Chapter 22: Lively Friendship (2)**

**Beta-Reader: Ant0nius**

Of all the years she had spent together with Ambar, Geecku had never put much thought into the idea of having a playmate.

A mate was something she was more accustomed to. Someone to have with her and indulge in primal desires and thoughts. Many were the ones the Life Crest had tried, many were the ones that had ultimately limited their affection to her to mere mating. Just a few had kept her as a friend. Not in the normal sense of the word, but at least they were keen to indulge in more than mating.

But as affection goes through that intimacy, so does through little things. Things that Geecku, after so long, had slightly forgotten about and was now keen to remember and enjoy once again with her newest friend. The young human was rather shy around her early on. Her lack of clothes, a decision that she had taken after suffering through some unpleasant uniforms in the last few centuries, seemed to be the main issue behind this reaction. Something that she had noticed being common with others that weren’t familiar with Geecku.

She knew that her upbringing was unique. Even for the tribes that had once praised her as the bringer of true Life and guardian for those willing to reach adulthood, she was quite anomalous when it comes to personal rules and limitations.

There were only a few inner laws that the Prime would never try to cross, most of them related to elements that opposed the Crest she was the bearer of. Life was precious, and it was to be lived in complete freedom and without any external imposition. That was the mantra that had driven to be fairly reluctant in seeking a place for herself in the heart of civilization. So many laws, so many annoying things to keep track of to not be rude to others.

It was incredibly weird, but at least she could rely on Ambar and her hospitality. Her home had a mix of rules and freedom. The courtyard was spacious, warm and plenty of room for Geecku to enjoy when she wanted to run around and remember the numerous hunts she had taken a part in. Always the predator, never the prey.

That is… until she decided to play tag with her newest friend. It was strange to imagine that this was the first time _in ages_ since she last played this game with someone. So long and… now she felt dumb for not having tried to do something like this before with Ambar. Just as that thought entered her mind, a counter came out of what she knew about the Wisdom Crest’s burdens. Paperwork was a scary monster that Geecku had watched devour men and women into eternal boredom. It was the worst enemy she could ever imagine facing, which was why she was keen to bribe Minnow to do it for her when it came to her former job back in that golden ship of theirs.

But right now she shouldn’t be thinking of such a terrible thing. No, she should enjoy the fact that this entire situation, this unexpected game of theirs, was lifting her out of the boredom that had gained a hold on her since earlier this morning. Frankie was, in her opinion, a funny individual. Not just because of his expressive reactions, but also because he was slowly but surely growing more confident around her. A small smile was on his face as she giggled left and right, dodging his best efforts to catch her.

Her flexible body was put to the test as she swiftly avoided a few close calls coming from her chaser. The human wasn’t the fastest, but he definitely reacted well enough, considering the terrain he was playing in. Geecku was actually impressed, and she couldn’t help but feel giddy at the long chase that she ended up having with him.

There was just a sense of rush and simplicity that made her smile and laugh. Something long-forgotten and… incredibly nice. The chase ended as she allowed herself to be caught, it wasn’t due to tiredness or anything related to fatigue. No, the Life Crest had played easy for a while in order to have the young man become more accustomed to the basics.

Now it was her turn to hunt and show him that things weren’t so simple. And that she was an eager predator that wanted to play more with him and see how good he was at running. A moment, that’s how long it took for Frankie to realize how quick and ferocious Geecku really was when she was the one chasing. He ducked just in time to avoid her tackle, and was forced to roll away as she pressed on him by rushing forward the moment she landed back on the ground.

Despite the growth in tension, both were smiling, and that seemed to put a surprising amount of relief in the Life Crest. For a moment she thought he would have been angry at her aggressive take on the game. Maybe it was the pure adrenaline that lessened that emotion, allowing for them both to enjoy that time together the best way possible.

She was grinning eye-to-eye as she kept on pressuring him, knowing that eventually he would have succumbed at her stalking effort. Despite the fact he didn’t seem to have a genuine sense of understanding about how much she was putting behind each move, she could tell that he had been trained. He knew how to fight and had a fight-flight mentality that allowed him to react accordingly.

It made that second round quite exciting as she found herself having a tougher time getting to catch him. She ended up taking a little more than twenty minutes finally tackling him down on the ground. A blink, then she frowned as he saw the hysterical look he had on his face. A few tears rolling down his cheeks, amused noises coming out of his open smile and entertained look.

“Y-You are so fast,” He commented and the Life Crest felt surprised at the words uttered by him. It felt just so odd that there wasn’t an annoyed reaction. Or a restrained pleased one. It just felt plain weird for her to see that someone would actually enjoy her win.

It made her happy. Way happier than usual. Yet she merely stared for a while, yellow eyes wide open as she felt a strange warmth coming from her chest.

_Heat? Fever?_

She didn’t feel either being the cause of that strange emotion. It was something new, something pleasant but nonetheless novel to her. But… Geecku managed to pull herself out of that strange mood before her newest friend could notice anything, leaning down and nuzzling atop his chest. He was so soft, so cuddly and it felt lovely to rest down and look at him smile at her.

“Geecku really fast!” She half-exclaimed, smiling mirthfully while accepting with a nod the sudden right hand of his patting her head.

There was peace and she felt at ease with the world as a whole while the-

“So this is where you two were!” A loud masculine voice called, making them both tense up as the Life Crest was the one that checked who spoke up. Her posture further tensed the moment she recognized the one that was currently regarding her with absolute annoyance.

Geecku blew a raspberry at the Death Crest and… Sem didn’t look happy about it based on the deepening frown on his face. Ambar approached them just brief moments after, an amused look on her face as she was tinkering with her phone.

“Apologies for the delay, but I needed to take this picture,” The High Prime hummed before looking up and smiling at the scene. “And I see that you made an interesting friend, Mr. Parker.”

The Lizard Prime felt the human shift a little bit nervously, but he managed just a few words.

“L-Lady Ambar.”

The Wisdom Crest giggled. “It’s alright. I’m more amused than anything, it’s not a common sight to see Geecku making friends,” The redhead replied before turning her attention to Geecku herself. “And I didn’t expect you to to be this keen to make friends like this.”

The blue-haired girl smiled and nodded. “I like Frankie.”

It took them a few minutes to get out of the courtyard and back to Ambar’s office. Geecku followed, now interested by what was going on and why Frankie was here to begin with. He was tied with Sem, which made him less pleasant to have around… but also not, since the young man really looked awkward while around the Death Crest.

_**And without knowing it, Frankie ended up gaining the interest of another Crest.** _

\----------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d---------

I sat down on one of the chairs that Ambar gestured to us as soon as we arrived at our destination.

Professor Aken sat down mere moments after me, while Geecku decided to make things more awkward than needed by sitting on my lap. She didn’t do anything beyond sitting there.

I wasn’t entirely sure why the other two occupants of the room appeared alright with this development, but I figured that this wasn’t something they would normally see happen. Ambar hummed while giving a quick look to the screen of her terminal, swiftly returning her attention to us and nodding.

“Now, I believe you were informed as to why you have been asked to come here, Mr. Parker,” The High Prime spoke up with a calm tone, her smile widening the moment she saw me nod. “Good, then I guess you know that I wish to make sure that you are able to properly train without your powers going awry. It’s a minor check up, and it’s not invasive nor painless.”

I knew that it was something fairly simple, but the fact she was quick to confirm this somehow put me in a calmer mood. I nodded once more.

“Geecku dear, you should let your friend come closer to me so I can get through with this quick thing.”

The Lizard Prime hummed, but she stood up so that I could move out of the chair and start walking around the Wisdom Crest’s desk. I wasn’t exactly sure how this was meant to work, especially since I didn’t have much experience in Crests’ Magic altogether, but I felt quite nervous when I saw the High Prime stand up, still smiling and carefully place her hands on the side of my head.

At first I expected it to be sudden and intense, but what I got was ‘something’. It wasn’t evident at first, but I slowly began to feel something ‘prodding’ inside my head. Careful, almost undetected and… yet I felt it. Somehow I felt it.

“That’s your Wisdom Magic aiding you,” The woman replied, giggling as she saw my eyes widen in surprise at that response. “Differently from Naerie, I need to touch people to know what they are thinking about. I hope it's alright if I… oh? That’s an interesting friendship you got with that big girl.”

“Uh...” I muttered, feeling rather violated at that and she shook her head.

“Sorry, dear. Kind of tough to keep away from those topics and… I can say that you will do fine,” She replied cryptically. “You just need to be yourself and hold perseverance. She will eventually notice.”

My jaws actually dropped at that, but I decided to take that response with a mere nod. It’s not like I hadn’t thought about asking for some advice about what was going on with Hope, and hearing this actually made me feel a little more confident that I was on good tracks.

While also leaving me perplexed about how I was supposed to handle the situation with Vixy.

“That I can’t help you with. I think you should be the one to find a closure about it with your close friend,” The Bear Prime offered. “Still, let’s resume the serious bit of the task and… oh? What is this?”

While she said this, I felt a strange pull from within. Differently from anything I felt before, this one didn’t seem aimed at ‘me’, but rather something that had taken residence ‘within me’. I blinked, at first confused by the strange sensation… before I needed to shield my eyes and look away when a blinding light started forming between Ambar and I. The High Prime was suddenly pushed away- no, she was forced to take a few steps back as ‘someone’ had emerged from me and was now hugging her tightly.

“Mama!”

The very ‘projection’ that had formed a while back during that bizarre situation with Naerie had appeared once more. The younger version of the Wisdom Crest’s daughter looked fairly loving and… Ambar was vibrating at the sight and completing the embrace by lifting the giggling girl up and closer to her.

“Dear Dragons, you are so cute!” The High Prime had to say, her face nuzzling close to her daughter’s younger version. The sight itself would have given diabetes to many with how sweet and adorable it was.

The teacher glanced at me with a frown. “So, is this tied to what happened between you and Ms. Xiong?”

His voice broke me off from my distraction, eyes going wide as I remembered the entire predicament I was in.

“Y-Yeah. I mean, little Naerie was visible just to us like… my younger version.”

I felt a cold realization enter my mind and I glanced back at Ambar. “L-Lady Ambar, if little Naerie is here, could that lead to Naerie to unconsciously release-”

“Your younger self? Doubtful. I’m quite certain that such a phenomenon isn’t just tied to a release like this one.”

I felt relieved at hearing that, remembering that Naerie was busy with Shin and Hope about some History-related study session, so I could tell a sudden mini-me would have made for quite the awkward development. Still, as I grew at ease with that confirmation, my attention was back at the little Bear Prime as she was done hugging her mother. Looking up at my face, she lifted her hands up, silently asking for an easy thing for me to guess.

I hummed, but shrugged as I saw Ambar nodding in my direction. I picked little Naerie up and she giggled as she happily enjoyed being brought off the ground. “You’re so tall, Frankie!”

Smiling, I give her a curious look. “Well, your older self is almost as tall as me. Do you like the height?”

“It’s nice,” She chirpily replied and I really could notice now how easy it was how different chibi-Naerie was from her older self. More confident, more easygoing and… less worried about making mistakes with her emotions.

Surprisingly enough, the girl suddenly yawned and her form began shining a suave blue.

“I’m a little tired. Can we play… next time?”

I blinked at the request, and I could tell that she was disappearing once more. Perhaps the magic wasn’t capable of stabilizing a construct like this for too long and… I nodded. “Sure.”

Her smile widened, and soon she was… gone. It felt strangely odd, almost saddening, but I didn’t feel much touched about it. Maybe I just knew she was going to come back eventually and- and then I felt a pair of hands grasp at my shoulders. I glanced in front of me and I tensed up at the annoyed look on Ambar’s face.

“It’s so unfair that you got that interesting thing going on. I would pay half this kingdom to have a copy of my baby girl when she was cute and cheerful,” The woman lamented. “But I guess it’s fine if someone like you can offer me this kind of sight from time to time. Alas, I think it’s time for you to finally reveal your power.”

…

“What?”

The suddenness of the second half caught me off-guard. Power? I thought that it was just a mere check-up.

“Differently from many Clans, those that are tied to the Wisdom Clan are capable of developing their powers fairly early. Yours is… quite interesting, but fitting of your previous experiences,” The High Prime elaborated. “In fact, I think a display is needed so Sem can understand what you can work on to reach an acceptable level.”

I blinked, still far from getting a clear picture of what exactly I was supposed to do. Before I could say anything, Ambar gave me a single pat on my cheek, something warmth spreading all over my brain and… then I suddenly ducked in time to avoid a sudden punch from her free hand. It all happened in mere instants, my eyes going wide open once more as I began to dodge numerous quick punches from the woman, moving left and right before being forced to block at a sudden kick from her.

The attack was still difficult to tank despite my swift guard, but I was just knocked back by just a few steps.

“You should also try to react, Frankie. Else you might end up bruised.”

It was a warning, an intense one. I tensed up at her voice and I felt nervous when she pressed on that advantage. I had yet to grasp what was happening and… how I was keeping up with all of this but then- I reacted. And it was incredibly _satisfying._

It’s been a while since I took a fighting stance and I briefly took up my old boxing one. That was a short-lived decision as, for some reason, my body started to change the stance into something else. Becoming more flexible, leaving more openings to be exploited, and yet … it was slowly starting to match what Ambar was using against me. It felt like Martial Arts and, remembering when Naerie mentioned that her mother grew up in China, I felt confident that it was something she had developed there.

There was a degree of strength with each blow we were sharing, and soon I felt granted reprieve in the form of a sloppy opening. This one wasn’t a bluff, I could tell that it was a genuine chance for me to gain momentum against her. So I dived in by landing a powerful punch on her midriff and… I actually fell on my knees while holding my hurting hand. The fist had slammed onto its target, but instead of delivering pain, it received an excruciating amount of it.

Ambar giggled, standing over me and… patting my head.

“My, oh my, that was rather intense,” She commented mirthfully. “If I had left my belly at ease, you would have hurt me. Sadly, my body didn’t grow anywhere as soft as others. I’m a tough girl as many would say.”

I groaned, accepting her helping hand and standing up thanks to her support. She gave a quick look at my hand and nodded. “That’s gonna need some ice. I will see to have some brought up here while we discuss some more about what had just happened.”

“He was dodging faster,” Professor Aker replied carefully, glancing at us with a fascinated look. “But I doubt that is what his power really is about.”

“Frankie copies Ambar,” Geecku added with a nod. “Fast but… it’s a copy.”

“Indeed, Frankie was slowly ‘learning’ how to use my own stance against me. In fact, for a brief moment, I would have received some damage if he had the power to pack such a worrying attack,” The Wisdom Crest further explained. “His power is impressive, but still limited by time and… personal capacities. If he ever decides to intensely train and develop his magic, I can see him become a Dragon Knight in a couple of years, maybe even little less than a decade.”

That comment had me frowning. “I-Isn’t that the highest grade a Knight can aspire?”

“That’s correct,” The Bear Prime answered with a smile. “You would be a fine Knight if you had actually decided to take that path in life… but I don’t think you are really up to that kind of pace. Aren’t you?”

…

“I believe I will settle with my current aspirations, Lady Ambar.”

“And I would be more than delighted to see what kind of delicious dishes you will serve at your future restaurant if things go as you wish them to be, Frankie,” She replied while giggling. “Nonetheless, I believe you will do fine with some training. I understand you aren’t really that worried about the Narakhan you encountered a while ago, and I can see why you are so sure of it. But… I wish for you to understand that those that are loyal to Chaos can easily be manipulated and will be forced to take actions that they wouldn’t normally do. So please, be wary of this information.”

I gave a slow nod. “I-I will.”

“Good. Now, Sem… I think it’s up to you to decide what to do next. I believe we have an agreement and, while I know you will go through with the part regarding Mr. Parker, you will still have to fulfill the other bit I asked you to comply with.”

“Yes,” The teacher answered curtly and the Bear Prime sighed.

“Well then… I think we are done for this visit,” She replied calmly. “And Frankie?”

I looked at her and nodded.

“If you need any advice. Any… ‘lessons’, feel free to contact me. I wouldn’t mind to aid some young love in the making.”

I was confused by that offer at first, feeling like there was something within it that I didn’t catch as I first heard it. Then I realized the innuendo, and I proceeded to fight off the blush while Professor Aker and I left that room.

Geecku was sad to hear this, but Ambar muttered something about having a plan to make her happy. We weren’t around to listen to what it was all about, and soon we were out of the manor.

_**Despite this enlightening visit, I couldn’t help but ponder over my new power. It was a novelty for sure but, for some reason, I didn’t feel that much drained after using it for that amount of time…** _

\------------d-d-d-d-------------d-d-d-d--------

Ifera was… confused. Immensely so.

It’s been a while since she had genuinely gone through her plans about her mission. Here she was, wasting her existence on some tree’s branch, her eyes staring aimlessly at the leaves above her head. It all felt so relaxing and… distracting. She needed to be distracted so she could forget what happened with… him.

Her breath itched the more she contemplated that scene. Her body shivered, her mind blanked out as the faint memory of the feelings that had melted her mind came to her thoughts. A blink, then two… and once again she was stuck in a state of perplexity.

This was a first for Ifera. Never in her life she would have imagined that something like this could have happened during a mission and… yet it did. Her chest hurt slightly at the thought, her focus within her mind not truly aimed at capturing her current target. No, she was so invested in understanding how it was possible that he had managed to get her this confused about herself and the mission itself.

“ **You know, if you fail constantly when you’re about to do something bad, maybe it’s because you’re not a bad person.”**

His words haunted her even now as she tried to find reason within her purpose. Why was she so keen to fail- why everything she did resulted in a failure?

Then again, it wasn’t everything. There were times ever since she started her mission where she would manage to overcome any problem thrown her way. Sure, she came close to fail more than not, but Ifera knew when to stop, think and come around any issues. It was better to be careful than rush at the target and mess things up. She was precise, careful and… and then there was that obstacle she didn’t know how to beat.

His smile got her leg wobbly, the fact he didn’t exploit her weakness to do hurtful things to her, to capture her or even have her arrested… It spoke volumes to her. But the Narakhan didn’t know what exactly this was all about. Was this kindness? Or maybe he was just trying to act in an effort to lower her defense and then attack her?

Her mind just couldn’t decide which was the closest to reality and that left the young woman more and more unable to choose what to do next. It was clear that she couldn’t do this mission alone. The growth of the difficulty here means that her own skills, albeit excellent, were not up to handling the sudden increase of guards over her main objectives.

A letter to the elders to explain why she required more manpower was going to be enough. It was clear that the protection employed was way more than predicted and that mostly justified some of the delays she had been suffering. It was a personal defeat, but at least it didn’t disrupt her plans by too much.

She had thought a lot about who to ask for this mission, and two names eventually came out of that brainstorming. It was a tough decision to make, but she was certain she did right. At least, those were the least problematic to call upon and, hopefully, her leadership was going to prevent the shenanigans they were known to cause during each mission.

Finally, she came up to think how to handle… Frankie. He was incredibly good at handling people like her, there was something within his actions and manners that made him an interesting individual and… she knew that there was a single open door for her to breach into if she wanted to have a chance of success.

If the aggressive kidnapping wasn’t going to do much, then it was time for her to evaluate something a little more riskier than her previous effort. Something that was going to easily put her in a disadvantageous position if she wasn't capable of keeping an eye out for the kind of action she might end up going through.

It was also embarrassing-

“ **Then I will stop you myself everytime you attack us.”**

And then there was also that! It wasn’t just that easy for her to go down the idea of seducing her target. He was nice, he was handsome and she couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was infuriating, but also not. It was angering, but also not. She was pissed, but also deeply confused and concerned about her positive thoughts about it.

She… still had to try. It was difficult, there was no doubt that it was a treacherous road ahead of her but… hopefully, she didn’t trip down and- no! No more talking about tripping for a few years. Ifera sure was going to be careful with her actions from now on to avoid anything like that from ever happening again.

**There was no way in Chaos’ purest realm that she was going to allow this to happen once more! She just couldn’t accept it!**

\---------d-d-d-d------------d-d-d-d-----------

**AN**

_**And then you said ‘no’.** _

**Maybe.**

_**Aw, still attached to her?** _

**Kind of.**

_**By the way, nice work with Journal of a Farmhand. I wait for that snippet about me.** _

**Of course-**

_**Followed by a couple more snippets to enthusiastically praise me.** _

**G** **oddammit Ambar!**


End file.
